


The Titan Pack

by Gaithius



Category: Jurassic Park (1993), Jurassic Park (Movies)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Minor canon divergence, Original Character(s), Violence and Gore, blame the t rex, original raptor squad, raptor hybrids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-28
Updated: 2018-12-02
Packaged: 2019-04-14 06:18:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 34,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14129895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gaithius/pseuds/Gaithius
Summary: Fabian Riehl was a moderately successful founder of an animal preserve in Oregon and had absolutely every intention of continuing in that manner. A peaceful life for the most part, but what he never counted on was one John Hammond showing up at his workplace and offering him a different job, one that would be “working in the same field” and “funding his home” the entire time. Now, when Fabian accepted the job on Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna (with the stipulation that his preserve would be funded for his stay), he certainly did not expect to become the unintentional alpha of a genetically modified pack of hybrid velociraptors. How did he ever get roped into this?





	1. Roped In

**Author's Note:**

> A.N: First time posting on here, so let’s hope things go well! This is sort of the prologue to the story, taking place in 1992 (canonically when Wu finds intelligence in the raptors) on Site B and the mainland, the rest of the story will follow the general movie cannon timeline with some canon-divergence. Hopefully I will post at least once a month or twice if I can manage it!
> 
> I do not own any of the jurassic park characters or their franchise!

**1992, Isla Sorna, Site B.**

_Subject 6x found to be exhibiting signs of intelligence, including well developed short and long-term memory, problem solving skills, and pack interactions. Was able to decipher the guard time schedule and attempted escape by attack, which was promptly thwarted. Subject now contained and sedated within holding cell._

With a slight smile, Dr. Wu closed the file folder containing the recent reports on subjects 3x to 6x: all the recent velociraptor clones. It appeared the long hours the staff had put in were paying off, as the dinosaurs finally began to exhibit the fierce traits that InGen had so desperately required. Additionally, this information gave his personal experiments some basis to measure improvement off of, or at least compare to.

For several months now, Dr. Wu had repeatedly attempted and failed to incubate velociraptor hybrids. Now, he turned to his computer and pulled up the file on the hybrids from memory and opened the first one: Subject A. He flicked through the stats on the screen, the latest report was from the previous night and detailed the status of the first of six eggs in their incubator. The current trial had lasted significantly longer than the previous six, a good sign to Dr. Wu, and he was about ready to declare this attempt a success for conception.

There was a polite knock on his office door, to which the doctor bid entry as he closed out of the technically secret file on his computer. He looked up, fixing an amicable smile on his face as the intern dressed in lab gear entered.

“Sorry to bother you, Dr. Wu,” the intern who’s name escaped the doctor began, “I thought you might want to know that there is significant activity in room E24, the velociraptor hybrids? As in in the eggs, not an intruder.” The young man appeared quite nervous as he tightly clutched a clipboard to his chest.

The doctor smiled once again, “Thank you, I believe that is something I should look into. It’s too early for them to be hatching, however there is always the possibility that this is the true sign of a successful incubation.”

The intern nodded politely--still apparently quite nervous to be talking to such a renowned cloning expert--then quickly backed out of the room, almost dropping his clipboard in the process. The doctor stood at once, his heart pounding in excitement as he stuffed the paper file in his desk, grabbed his jacket and clipboard, then darted out the door, quickening his pace to an almost jog. A minute later he entered E24, his gaze immediately focusing on the egg only a few paces in front of him in an incubator.

The monitor beside it labeled it as Specimen A--velociraptor and triceratops hybrid--and the one he had read about before. The temperature, humidity, and rotation were normal, but the most exciting development was the heart rate and activity. From the previous night, both stats had risen by at least half their original value, indicating the incubation was indeed successful. A quick sweep through the room proved the same for the other five specimens, and Dr. Wu found himself grinning with absolute joy at his success. The scientific possibilities for hybrid creatures were boundless, and he had opened the door.

“Um, doc?”

Wu had to remind himself not to frown and snap at the unlucky worker who interrupted his self-congratulatory thoughts, but instead forced a relatively peaceful expression on his face as he turned around. At the door was another scientist, Dr. Sampson if he recalled correctly, who looked quite curious if not a little concerned.

“Ah, doctor. What do you need?” Dr. Wu smiled half-heartedly at his subordinate.

“Sorry to bug ya,” Sampson began, stepping into the room cautiously, “I was just curious how this whole experiment is going. You’ve been quite the busy beetle by the looks of things.”

“It’s going well, I believe we are ready to contact our outside expert within the month,” Wu said gleefully as he turned back to the specimens. He scribbled the stats of Specimen A on his clipboard before turning to the next incubation chamber, Specimen C, a velociraptor and gallimimus hybrid.

“That's all well and good doc, but I’ve got absolutely no idea what sort of thing you’re running here. Well, more like a vague idea, something about hybrids. Mind filling me in on the details?”

“My apologies, but I can’t. It’s classified.”

Sampson frowned, but it became apparent that he wouldn’t be able to weasel any information out of Dr. Wu now, as he was intently focused on the eggs before him. Instead, he quietly left while Dr. Wu turned to the next specimen, brontosaurus and velociraptor.

“Big things ahead, I do believe,” Wu muttered to himself, “Very big things. Now, to get your alpha, that will be the hardest part. Hammond better come through with his half of the deal.”

**…**

**1992, Oregon, Riehl-** **Fischer Nature Preserve**

“Mr Riehl! Mr Riehl!” The worried shout was muffled by the wooden door between Fabian’s office and the busy hallway. Moments later, the origin of the yell shot through the door, her wild brown hair falling into her face.

Fabian looked up from the unopened letter on his desk, his own dirty blonde hair pulled back in a low ponytail. He greeted his apprentice with a kind smile that reached his hazel-brown eyes and imposed a sense of calm on her. “Celeste! What’s up?” Fabian sat back, hooking his thumbs into the pockets of his black work jacket, watching as his apprentice tried to catch her breath.

“It’s Carmilla; she’s not eating,” Celeste gasped, sitting down on the one clear chair in the messy office. “She won’t let any of her handlers near her and she keeps growling at the other black leopards!”

“Alright, alright, calm down,” Fabian reached over to the phone on his desk, “Let me just call Emmett, let him know I’ll be home late. Go tell the others I’ll be there soon.”

Celeste nodded frantically and once again darted out of the office at top speed, which Fabian was beginning to suspect was her only speed. With a sigh, Fabian dialed his house number, waiting for someone to answer but only receiving the voicemail in response. He sighed once again, rubbing his temples and eyes in frustration as he waited for the automated recording to finish.

_BEEP_.

“Hey, Emmett, it’s Fabian. Listen, something came up, Carmilla isn’t eating and no one else can figure out what’s going on. She’s the panther from last year? Anyway, I know it was date night tonight, but I can’t leave the preserve quite yet. I’ll be an hour or so late, so sorry…” Fabian lapsed into a prolonged silence, unconsciously playing with his nebula pendant bracelet, “Love you, be there as soon as I can.”

Fabian sighed in frustration, knowing his boyfriend would be more than annoyed at his tardiness, but he would not and could not abandon a sick animal for his own pleasure time. This was happening quite often it seemed--he truly wished his own job to have more reasonable and consistent hours--but he knew that would never be the case when it came to wild animals. He looked down at the letter on his desk, another anomaly in his routine that he was not keen on talking to Emmett about.

Groaning and rubbing his weary eyes, Fabian stood up slowly, tucked the letter and keys into his satchel, grabbed a heavy outdoor jacket (which he was fairly certain was not actually his) from the peg by his door and exited the messy office, locking the door behind him. He quickened his pace as he walked through the halls, ducked out the door into the twilight air, and made his way towards the panther enclosure. He mentally kicked himself for scheduling date night on the same night he had to work late, but what's done was done.

As he approached the enclosure, he saw a multitude of staff, most herding the other panthers back into their holding pens, three holding various foods to tempt Carmilla, and one holding a tranquilizer rifle. Fabian pursed his lips, unwilling to sedate the wild cat until absolutely necessary, but nodded his greeting to the crowd anyway. He fumbled with the key to the cage for a moment, then entered while speaking quietly to the panther and assuring himself that he was not going to get eaten.

“Hey there, sweetheart,” Fabian murmured, kneeling down a few paces away from Carmilla, “How ya doing, hm? Something wrong?”

Camilla let out a low growl, her tail flicking back and forth in annoyance, then leaned forward to sniff the hand Fabian held out. She snarled slightly and moved away, causing Fabian to frown. Slowly, he moved closer, and after several tense minutes identified the issue.

“Rotten tooth,” Fabian declared as he exited the enclosure, “Let’s get it extracted tonight, no need for sedation, just perseverance. I'll assist.”

A half hour later, Fabian was relatively cleaned up and on his way to the restaurant for a date with Emmet while Carmilla finally got her much needed meal. He felt pangs of guilt running through him, knowing this date night was supposed to be for their anniversary he missed last week, but he couldn't abandon his preserve when an emergency came up. When he finally arrived at the nice-looking diner, he smiled politely at the waiter and went to find his table only to freeze in shock.

In a corner booth was Emmett, his black hair falling over his soft green eyes, a kind smile on his face as he stared at the man before him. One strong arm was slung over the shoulder of the other man--a stranger--and Emmett didn't even look up as Fabian entered. His attention was fully focused on the new love interest of the night, and honestly Fabian couldn’t blame him.

A pang of jealousy and guilt struck Fabian painfully, he could swear he felt his heart breaking. He bit his lip, turning around and quietly leaving the restaurant without a word to the confused waiter. Fabian pulled on his borrowed outdoor coat and turned down the street to his car, starting the engine while struggling (and failing) not to cry. Silent tears fell down his face as he drove, the betrayal stung him deeply but he found he only blamed himself.

At his and Emmett’s shared apartment, Fabian packed his things as quickly as he could, scrawled a note to explain his hurt and absence, then left without a second glance. He went back to his office to stay the night as he sometimes did, unsightly tears falling down his cheeks the entire way. Upon arrival, Fabian threw his few bags into a corner and sat behind his desk, withdrawing the unknown letter from his satchel. He figured that, at the very least, it would serve as a distraction from the heartbreak.

‘ _InGen, never heard of it. But still,_ ’ Fabian ripped the envelope open carefully and unfolded the letter, ‘ _Might as well read it.’_

~.~.~.~

_Dear Mr Riehl,_

_We recently found ourselves in great need of a man with your skills and now request your presence at one of our working locations. To further explain, Mr. John Hammond will be arriving at your workplace on June 9th, late in the night. Please make yourself available._

~.~.~.~

The lack of signature concerned Fabian, but he was too tired--emotionally and physically--to care. Instead, he spent his spare time cleaning the office to a relatively presentable state and sat down once again, waiting for this mysterious Hammond to arrive.  

It did not take long before a knock sounded, and Fabian bid him entrance in what he hoped was a kind voice.

“Ah, hello Mr. Riehl!” John Hammond chirped brightly as he walked in. The odd man wore all white, down to the dress shoes on his feet. He carried a white cane with him which had a rounded amber stone on the top to help him walk, though he still had a prominent limp from what Fabian could tell. He grinned brightly at Fabian, who smiled politely and shook his hand in response.

“Just Fabian is fine, Mr. Hammond.”

“Well call me John then! It's a pleasure to meet you,” John settled into a seat, crossing his legs as Fabian did the same, “I assume you were informed of my arrival?”

“Yes,” Fabian replied, neglecting the fact that it was only an hour before when he read the letter, “As much as I would like to have a nice conversation, it's quite late and I would love to get some sleep tonight.” That statement was not entirely correct, but he did not feel like talking.

“Of course, of course. Right to the point. I like it,” John looked more serious, “To summarize, I own an Island, or rather two: Isla Sorna and Isla Nublar. I have decided to do something quite amazing with it, if I do say so myself. You see, I am building an exotic zoo of sorts and I find myself in need of a trainer and animal handler, which is where you come in. Your preserve, of course, will be reimbursed for your absence. We spared no expense, staff included.”

Fabian raised an eyebrow and clasped his hands in his lap, “An island? Leaving my home and traveling across a continent to work at an island where all I would be doing is the same thing as here without the benefit of my own animals seems excessive.”

“Why, my dear Fabian, you would not be doing the same thing as here! Our animals are more exotic than even your panther.”

Fabian’s curiosity was peaked, and he sat up a little straighter, furrowing his eyebrows. “More exotic? John, what sort of crazy creatures do you have on that island of yours?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t tell you until I know if you accept our offer.”

“Sounds like something illegal then…”

“No no no! Of course not, not illegal,” John waved his hand in dismissal, “Just a precaution. The industry is very high in competition, it’s for company safety.”

Fabian hesitated for a moment, thinking it over. On one hand, he would leave behind his mother, though estranged, and sister, as well as his livelihood and long-term job. He loved his animals more than anything; he worked hard to have such a deep connection with them but to leave and betray their trust was difficult. However, a small part of him held spite for the animals, especially after what he saw tonight. It was obvious that Emmett had lost interest in him due to his work schedule, and he couldn’t blame the animals for that, but he still wanted someone to blame.

Someone other than himself.

“Alright,” Fabian began with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, “I’ll do it, under two conditions. One, as you said, my preserve receives funding and reimbursement for my absence, however long it is. Two, I am allowed to visit the preserve on an as needed basis.”

“Ah,” John began, grinning wryly, “A businessman I see. That, of course, can be arranged, no expense too large you see!”

Fabian got the distinct feeling that he would not get along with Hammond as well as originally expected.

“Alright, When do we leave? And what are the creatures, now that I’m under your employ?”

John grinned and sat up, “We leave tonight, in an hour. As for the creature…” He trailed off, instead holding his cane up to eye level. Inside the amber, Fabian could now see a preserved mosquito. He looked at John in confusion, blinking.

“Mosquitos?” Fabian’s voice was filled with doubt as he began to gather his things.

“Dinosaurs, Fabian. Dinosaurs.”

Fabian froze, a lock of hair falling into his eyes. He straightened up, looking at John in doubt while still gripping his half packed bag.

“Dinosaurs… are extinct.”

“Not anymore, my dear boy.”

“Okay…” Fabian said tentatively after several long moments of thought, “Okay let's say you did manage to bring them back. Your first reaction is to what, make a zoo of them?”

“A park,” John corrected.

“A park.”

“Yes,” John stood, patting Fabian’s back gently while he turned back to his packing, “I welcome you to _Jurassic Park._ ”

‘ _I welcome me to my certain doom,’_ Fabian thought distantly, though he did not try to squirm his way out of the contract. ‘ _How in God’s name did I get roped into this?’_

**…**


	2. Chaos In Balance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the arrival of the endorsement team, Fabian finds himself acting as a tour guide, showing off his very own Titan Pack to the three doctors and lone lawyer.

**June 11th, 1993, The Mainland**

The sky was a bright blue that day, wisps of clouds scattered overhead while seabirds squawked in the distance. It was--as always--a warm, tropical temperature, though gusts of wind assisted in cooling the beachside wanderers. Fabian himself was one of those, his work boots left behind at the truck filled with supplies as he walked the beach, enjoying the feeling of sand between his toes.

It had been nearly a year since his move to _Jurassic Park_ , but only two months ago he moved his pack to Isla Nublar--the main island. For several months, he had trained and bonded with the five hybrid raptors on Isla Sorna, enjoying the feeling of a fierce but deadly challenge. His own misgivings of the hybrids had lead to their names: Prometheus, Rhea, Asteria, Eos, and Atlas. Titans.

Part of him was excited for the events of the coming day, while the other part of him had deep seated misgivings. John Hammond had informed him the day before that a team of supposed “experts” were coming to inspect the park and endorse it. Apparently, a paleontologist, paleobotanist, lawyer, and mathematician qualified as experts to John.

“Alright,” Fabian sighed to himself, noticing once again that he was developing a habit of talking to himself, “I best be getting back. God Forbid I be even ten minutes late.”

The drive was about half an hour, but Fabian had to stay to make sure his supplies properly loaded, which took another half hour. When Fabian finally arrived at the airfield, the endorsement team had already loaded into the helicopter that John had provided. Locks of dirty blonde hair flew in Fabian’s face as the wind from the copter’s blades kicked up, tearing his hair free from the ponytail. He ignored it and simply ran to the door that Hammond held open, climbing in and taking his seat as liftoff began.

Fabian pushed his hair back, fussing with it a moment before capturing it in a messy bun, then looked around at the other passengers. John was sitting on the other side of the plane, grinning and holding his ever-present cane. To John’s right was a younger woman, who Fabian assumed to be Dr. Ellie Sattler, the paleobotanist. She wore a pink button up shirt with a pale blue undershirt and grey shorts, all of which complimented her curly blonde hair wonderfully. Next to her was another man with short brown hair and a rugged look to him. Fabian could see the clear tan lines of a paleontologist in him, and his dusty blue shirt and ivory pants complimented the look. He carried a well worn fedora, which Fabian found faintly amusing for no particular reason.

“Nice to see you could make it, Fabian!” John greeted, drawing Fabian’s attention away from the strangers, “I was beginning to wonder if we would have to leave without you!”

“Now, John,” Fabian began, a vaguely annoyed smile on his face, “We both know you couldn’t actually do that. Besides, I was helping load some supplies, some of which are for _you_.”

John laughed and leaned back, “As always, you speak the truth. Oh, how rude of me! I haven’t introduced the endorsement team to you. This is Dr. Ellie Sattler, she’s the leading paleobotanist. Next to her is Dr. Alan Grant, paleontologist, and the man in front of me is Mr. Donald Gennaro, bloodsucking lawyer. The rockstar next to you is Ian Malcolm.”

“I, uh, prefer chaotician, John,” Malcolm said, flashing a cocky smirk at Fabian, who smiled and shook his hand as he took in the ‘chaotician’. In stark contrast with John’s pure white outfit, Malcolm wore all black. He had a black undershirt with the top two buttons undone (much to Fabian’s pleasure) and a matching pair of pants. A stylish black leather jacket and pair of sunglasses definitely gave weight to John’s nickname for the man.

“Pleasure to meet all of you,” Fabian said, tearing his eyes away from Malcolm to smile at the rest of the passengers, “Sorry to make you all late. Traffic was unexpected.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, Mr. Rhiel,” Dr. Sattler said with a  kind smile, “If I may ask, what is your job at this secret park we are going to?”

Fabian froze at the question, knowing he was on thin ice with his answer, then chuckled slightly. “Ah, I can’t tell you my _exact_ job yet, legal issues and stuff, but suffice to say I am an animal handler of sorts.”

“Animal handler?” It was Dr. Grant that piped up this time, a frown fixed on his face, “What sort of park has paleontologists endorse it while there are animals there?”

“All in good time, my boy,” John interrupted, effectively taking the attention away from Fabian’s employment.

It was quiet for the longest of times, Fabian turning to stare out the window while Dr. Grant fiddled with a large velociraptor claw from one of his digs. Fabian fidgeted slightly, this had been the first time he had left the pack alone for such an extensive time and he sincerely hoped that Rhea had not mauled Prometheus to death by now.

Malcolm finally broke the silence, turning to the two paleontologists. “So, uh, you two-you two dig up dinosaurs?”

Dr. Sattler frowned slightly, “We _try_ to, at least.”

Malcolm chuckled in a vaguely growing way, earning an amused and slightly confused smirk from Fabian and strange stares from the rest of the passengers.

“You’ll have to get used to Dr. Malcolm,” John interrupted Dr. Malcolm once again, seemingly agitated by Malcolm’s excessive comments, “He suffers from an excess of personality, especially for a chaotician.”

“I’ll take that as a-a compliment, John,” Dr. Malcolm replied, “Now, John here has never subscribed to the ways of chaos. Especially what it, uh, has to say about his uh, little science experiment we are heading to.”

“Codswallop! You’ve never been able to sufficiently explain your concerns, Dr. Malcolm--”

“Now you see, if you look at the numbers--” Malcolm began as he reached out to touch John’s knee only to be slapped away by the annoyed older man.

“If you ask me that’s just a load of fancy number crunching!” John looked absolutely incessed at Malcolm’s entire personality, which provided a great deal of amusement for Fabian. He was not particularly happy to be stuck on a helicopter with John, but Ian Malcolm was a character he could get used to.

The conversation soon turned to chaos theory, Malcolm trying to prove his own point while explaining Chaos Theory in a flirtatious was to Dr. Sattler. Fabian tuned this out for the most part, keeping his eyes peeled for the island.

“Hey, there it is,” Fabian finally piped up, straightening up a little as the island came into sight.

It was an impressive sight to say the least. There was a large grey rock just ahead of them, and beyond that was the forest-blanketed island itself. Two large hills came to a valley through which they flew, following the natural curves of the island. Dr. Sattler and Dr. Grant both leaned to the window, watching in awe at the stunning sights, while Dr. Malcolm leaned over Fabian to peer out as well. Fabian was slightly alarmed at the sudden proximity, but he could not blame the mathematician--he was also stunned when he first arrived, but the novelty had worn off by now.

“Now, our helipad is not in the most optimal of places, so we will have a bit of a rough ride while going down,” John spoke up suddenly, a childish grin on his face. Fabian sighed slightly, pushing Dr. Malcolm back into his own seat and fumbling with his seatbelt.

The rest of the group flinched as the helicopter suddenly dropped, and quickly followed Fabian’s lead. Dr. Grant frowned when he discovered that both ends of his were the same--causing Malcolm to smirk--so he instead tied the two ends together.

“So uh, Mr. Rhiel,” Malcolm began, turning back to the remarkably relaxed man, “You seem awfully calm about this entire thing. And-and don’t give me that ‘I’ve seen it before’, even John is more excited than you.”

“Just Fabian, please. My last name is too formal,” Fabian replied, continuing to stare out the window.

“Fine then, Fabian. Call me Ian; it’s only fair.”

“If you must know, _Ian_ , it is because I have much more important things to worry about than how the helicopter moves. I’ve been here, done this, multiple times. The real excitement doesn’t come till later, you’ll see,” Fabian cast a glance at Ian. He was grinning at him with a twinkle in his eyes, but Fabian just turned back to the window without so much as a smile. Yes, Ian was amusing and enjoyable to talk to, but Fabian was ready to be back with his pack and socializing was wearing on his nerves, not to mention John’s inescapable arguments with Malcolm.

They landed with a heavy thunk, and Fabian immediately bolted out of the helicopter to the jeeps parked nearby. The rest of the group were slower, but John quickly caught up with Fabian before he could make his grand escape.

“Now now, Fabian,” John began quietly, “I know you want to go to your pack, but there's dramatic reveal about to happen! These four have never seen my park before; it is crucial that we make a favorable impression with them. Why don’t you tag along, show off your skills a little? We are going to the watering hole.”

Fabian felt his eye twitch in annoyance, but he simply nodded and settled into the driver’s seat of the jeep (knowing that John would at least permit him that luxury) to wait for the rest of the group. Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler climbed into the back, greeting him pleasantly, and Ian climbed in beside him.

“Well, uh, Fabian, where we off to?” Ian smiled at him and twisted around to look at the others, apparently excited to be here despite the misgivings he voiced on the ride there.

“Just a little welcoming of sorts. Knowing John, something dramatic.” Fabian earned a short laugh from Ian for his quip, but did not smile in response. He was weary and anxious, never a good combo, and John had pushed his patience to the absolute limits, so he was not particularly in the mood for laughs.

The drive was relatively short, and Fabian noticed that Dr. Sattler was observing the flora around them, murmuring about the age of the species and how they were extinct. A small smirk finally adorned Fabian’s face as he pulled to a stop, staring out over the hills for a moment before climbing out of the jeep. Dr. Sattler was the first to notice the metaphorical elephant in the room, standing up on the seat it awe. She slapped Dr. Grant’s shoulder a few times, garnering his attention, then pointed excitedly at the sight before them.

Just beyond the parked jeeps was a massive dinosaur; it’s long neck and thick legs signaling that it was a brontosaurus. It balanced on its hind legs as it leaned up to reach the highest leaves before landing with an earth shaking thump. Fabian watched in amusement as the group shouted, stumbled, and mumbled in shocked surprise. Dr. Grant had to sit down to contain his excitement; Dr. Sattler rubbed his back gently, and Ian sat in the car with a stunned grin plastered on his face, Gennaro mirroring him in the other jeep.

“Welcome to _Jurassic Park_ ,” John said, a dramatic tone to his voice as he looked out over the watering hole. Fabian glanced over for himself, smiling at the herd of parasaurs crowded by the water’s edge with the occasional brontosaur. The volume of dinosaurs was a stunning sight in and of itself, but Fabian found the real pleasure to see the interactions between the creatures. Long deep calls sounded from the brontosauruses while shorter, softer ones flittered back and forth between the parasaurs. Fabian leaned casually against a tree, content to listen in to conversation as he gazed out on the truly remarkable park.

“You crazy son of a bitch, you actually did it,” Ian said, finally stumbling out of the car a few steps, to better observe the magnificent creature.

“Ah, just a little bit of science and a lot of expense, Dr. Malcolm. Now, how about I show you the rest of the park? There are quite a few things to get to today; we don’t have time to waste!”

“Uh, John,” Fabian began, ignoring the excited nods of the other scientists, “I don’t think I have time to accompany you on your science tour. I need to check on my pack, make sure none of them have gotten into trouble while I was gone.”

“Yes yes, of course,” John waved his hand dismissively, now focused on selling his park as the absolute best, “Join us after lunch, will you?”

“Hm,” Fabian replied, knowing he would have to but not liking the implications. Instead, he turned to leave, content to walk the distance to his pack.

**…**

It was an hour later that Fabian had finished feeding the raptors and now sat at his desk, whittling at a stick determinedly. The raptors had free roam of the workshop and relished their chance at exercise, all the while Fabian supervised carefully. Eos was settled in a corner, curling her large mass into a surprisingly small ball in order to nap. Prometheus had apparently redecorated her crest with an assortment of small, dangling lichen. Atlas, Asteria, and Rhea were snapping and squabbling among themselves, the two feathered females and one bulky male getting along unusually well. Prometheus himself was settled beside Fabian, watching him whittle with intelligent eyes.

“Ian Malcolm is an interesting character, you know,” Fabian said to Prometheus, who chirped and laid his frilled head on Fabian’s knee. Fabian fondly patted the horn on his nose, tracing the stripes down his muzzle with a gentle finger, then turned back to his whittling. “He’s good looking, anyone with eyes could see that, and very intelligent with a good sense of humor. Pessimistic though--not that I blame him, but still. I thought I went through this before, pessimism is not for me, or maybe it was just Emmett. Who knows? You sure don’t. You never met Emmett.”

Prometheus chirped again, nudging Fabian’s hand as he stopped stroking him, but Fabian simply sighed and moved to get up. Prometheus leapt to his feet and trotted alongside his alpha, who reached for the walkie-talkie and fiddled with the channel for a moment.

“Muldoon, mind telling me when everyone shows up at the raptor feeding?” Fabian patted Prometheus, who was once again insisting on being the center of attention.

“Sure thing,” Muldoon’s reply was muddled as usual, but not upset. Fabian and the other man had worked closely for the last two months, and Fabian considered him his first real colleague here. Their opinions on the raptors differed slightly, but they held a mutual respect for each other.

It was less then ten minutes later that Muldoon informed Fabian that John, Ian, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Grant had arrived for the feeding. Fabian whistled the cue for the raptors to return to the enclosure, grabbed his coat, and darted out the door to meet them. He half sprinted to the enclosure, not wanting to miss them completely but certainly not wanting to be there for John’s apparent excitement at the dangerously intelligent creatures.

Fabian slowed to a quick walk as he reached his destination. He noticed that Ian, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Grant looked disturbed by the feeding display while John and Muldoon had a civilized argument. Muldoon glanced his way, nodding slightly, then turned back to John with a deep frown on his face.

“They should all be destroyed,” Muldoon growled, fixing each member of the group with a hard stare.

“No argument there,” Dr. Grant muttered as Fabian passed him to stand by Muldoon.

“Ah! Fabian,” John turned to him, plastering his amicable smile on his face as he tried to quickly change the subject, directing a glance at Gennaro briefly. “I’m so glad you’re here! I thought you were with your pack?”

“There wasn’t much to do today, thought I would check on what’s going on with our endorsement team before I take the Titans out for a hunt.” Fabian’s reply held a hint of an annoyed tone, but he was careful to keep his words neutral.

“Oh what a wonderful idea, how about you take the doctors and show them your pack! I think it would be a wonderful experience for everyone, really show them what we can do.”

“W-wait, what? That isn’t a good idea, I run with my own pack and not with others, they aren’t used to strangers. I don-”

“Nonsense,” John interrupted, despite Ian’s pointed coughing and Dr. Grant’s deepening frown, “I’m sure you have a handle on things. After, everyone can have some lunch and then we can start the tour.”

Fabian pinched the bridge of his nose as John clapped his hands in excitement, apparently pleased with his idea, but realized this was an argument he would not win and instead nodded. Without a word, he motioned for the endorsement team to follow him, deciding to take a jeep back this time.

“So, uh, what sort of ‘pack’ is-is John talking about?” Ian’s question broke the uncomfortable silence as they drove, each member wrapped up in their own doubts of the event.

“Another pack of raptors, but a little different,” Fabian replied as he glanced over to Ian in the passenger's seat, “Dr. Wu had a bit of an, uh, ‘side experiment’ going on when he was working on developing the dinosaurs. These five are the results.”

Fabian rolled the car to a stop and put it in park just outside the enclosure. Similar to the other velociraptor pen, it had tall walls with a rim of an electrified fence, but the area was substantially bigger and less densely packed with forestry. Ian squinted up at it, tucking his sunglasses into his pocket as he got out of the car, then followed Fabian into the workshop.

The workshop was as messy as Fabian had left it: knives, tools, and a strange assortment of horse gear were scattered around on the tables against the wall. The center of the room a mess of towels and tree scraps from Eos’s recent attempt at redecorating. He covered the mess with a tarp, then walked to the left where a heavily padded door with a wire window looking into the enclosure. Beside the door was a heavy duty fence serving as a wall between the enclosure and the workshop.

“There’s a viewing room between here and the actual enclosure. Wait there while I try to find where they went, the door is on the right,” Fabian directed as he unlocked the door, motioning for the group to enter the door to his right. Inside was a comfortable viewing room with a collection of monitors on the wall and a fence separating it from the enclosure. “And don’t touch the wire, it’s electrified.”

“Woah woah woah,” Ian began, frowning, “You’re really going to go in there? With uh, uh, _raptors_?”

“Yes,” Fabian said, looking at both Ian’s and Dr. Grant’s concerned faces, “I assure you I will be fine. What I was worried about was you four; they’ve bonded with me, but you are strangers.”

Ian still frowned but said nothing more, so Fabian turned back around and entered the enclosure, letting out a sharp, long whistle as he did so. There were several moments of silence, then a thumping and angry screeching sounded from the brush to his right followed quickly by a feathered body being chased by a scaled one.

Asteria was the first out in the open, skidding to a halt behind Fabian (who looked rather unimpressed). Prometheus stopped his chase and dropped the stick he held, only to be tackled moments later by a very angry Rhea.

“Oi! Rhea! Off him,” Fabian shouted, stomping forward to shove the large, feathered raptor off Prometheus, “Chill out. Ay, don’t you snap at me!”

Rhea glared at him, her orange-yellow eyes contrasting with the reddish brown stripe down her side. She snarled at him, her darker tinted feathers flaring, and clicked the long talons on the top of her feet on the ground. For several long moments, man and raptor stared fiercely at each other, before Rhea finally gave in and paced a few feet away, letting her feathers lie flat again.

Fabian sighed, turning back to Prometheus--who had retrieved his stick--and glared at him fiercely. Noticing his anger, Prometheus once again dropped his stick and chirped at him trotting to the side. Fabian pushed past the alpha and beta raptors to Asteria, who hissed in caution at him.

“Hey there, Asteria. Just me girl. Not gonna hurt you,” Fabian spoke soothingly, reaching to pet the raptor gently, “This is Asteria, she’s the middle child of the pack and a bit of a loyal creature.”

“They’re hybrids,” Dr. Grant breathed, moving a step closer to the fence to gaze at the creatures.

While the other velociraptors were purely scaled (judging from the glimpses of them), Asteria was not. She had feathers down the crest of her head and neck to the start of her neck, on the side of her neck and underbelly, on the tip of her tail, and thinner ones on her elbow. She was taller than Fabian, though her posture put her at about eye level for the moment. Her neck was long, and with the additional beak shape of the muzzle she resembled a gallimimus. Her main body was a clay-colored red-brown, her underbelly being a lighter tint of the same color. There was a light tan stripe from her eye to the tip of her tail, which had a smaller, darker brown stripe under it. She also sported the same dark brown in thick stripes on her muzzle, neck, and tail, which slowly faded on her legs. Her feathers were tipped in golden yellow, matching her eyes perfectly.

“Good eyes, Dr. Grant,” Fabian smiled, pulling a small frozen treat from a pocket in his jacket as he stroked the annoyed raptor, “Asteria is Gallimimus and velociraptor hybrid, which makes her the fastest of the raptors. She doesn’t really like Prometheus, which is what you saw there, but Prometheus was just trying to give her a stick, I think. Prometheus is a triceratops and velociraptor, while Rhea is a pure velociraptor and the genetically modified velociraptor, like in the other raptor pen.”

Prometheus chirped at the mention of his name, cautiously walking towards Fabian and Asteria. He was smaller than Asteria, about the same height as Fabian, and had the same posture as the other velociraptors, though with thicker limbs and slightly wider claws. His muzzle also had the beak like shape that Asteria had, but there was an additional blunted horn on his nose and two small ones just above his brow. He also had a small frill, which had spikes on the top as well as the edge. His body was a blueish-grey, lightening on his underbelly, while the darker stripes on his muzzle, body, and frill were a slightly more saturated blue. His tail, feet, and hands had no striping, but were tipped in the same blue. The most striking feature was his yellow-orange eyes, which contrasted with his body greatly. He glanced at the four stunned viewers, chirping at them, then cautiously nuzzled Asteria, who snorted and walked away in annoyance.

“Prometheus is the alpha; Rhea is the beta, and the other three are what you could call unranked.”

“You referred to Prometheus as a guy,” Ian said suddenly, speaking for the first time since seeing the raptors, “What, did you-did you check or something?”

Fabian chuckled, “I didn’t check, it was Dr. Wu who did that. Prometheus and Atlas are the only two males on this park, but they are infertile.”

“Because they are hybrids,” Dr. Sattler interjected, watching Prometheus as he went back to playing with his stick, “Like a mule. Two creatures of different species renders the animal infertile in nature; it would only make sense that it continues like that in here.”

“Correct,” Fabian said, accepting the stick that Prometheus had handed to him clumsily, “And some testing confirmed that fact. Rhea is the only fertile one, but she won’t let any dinosaur not in the Titan Pack near her.”

“Titan pack?” It was Gennaro who finally spoke up, apparently recovering from the excitement, “That would make an excellent park feature. ‘Discover, the Titan Pack, Hybrids of the Modern Age’.”

“They are _not_ park features, Mr. Gennaro,” Fabian spat, narrowing his eyes, “They are living creatures and sure as hell have their own thoughts and feelings. I’m their handler, and I say they will not be shown around like some dogs to throngs of children.”

Rhea suddenly growled from behind Fabian, walking up beside him as if to support his point and  snapping at the edge of his head only to be growled at by Prometheus. Fabian crossed his arms, not reaching out to pat Rhea as he so wanted to, mostly due to her intimidating figure.

Though she was slightly smaller than the other raptors with a longer and more slender body shape, her wild feathers on the crest of her neck and back (as well as smaller ones on the side) provided a more primal look. The feathers on her elbow and tail were shorter but still tipped in the reddish-brown that also stripped from her eye to the start of her tail. Her body was a warm grey, which lightened on her underbelly. Her orange-yellow eye made it seem as if one was staring into fire. All in all, a fierce look.

“Uh, yeah. Of course,” Gennaro quickly backpedaled, not wanting to anger the already annoyed raptor.

“So, uh Fabian,” Ian interrupted, his curiosity getting the better of him, “You said there was, uh, five raptors, right? Well, unless I am in the wrong profession for my math skills, there’s only three there with you”

Fabian found the corners of his mouth twitching up in amusement at Ian’s quirky humor, but instead of answering, he whistled once again, three quick blasts. Moments later the other two raptors entered, Eos walking tall with a confident gait while Atlas glanced around cautiously before darting to Prometheus’s side.

Atlas was about the same size as Prometheus, though with a much more horizontal posture. He had thickly muscled legs and body, while his tail was tipped with a thick club-like appendage. His muzzle was more beak like and he had three ivory colored spikes on each cheek and elbow, with similar ivory scales on the top of his head that changed to dull spines on his back. He was a dark grey color on his back, slowly fading to a much lighter grey that was broken by small stripes on the side of his neck and torso, which faded before his legs and tail. His eyes were a striking yellow green and continuously peeking around in caution. Prometheus clicked a greeting, nudging the youngest male gently.

Eos was very much the opposite of that, standing nearly double Atlas’s height with a forward leaning posture. Her head was much more triangular with a parasaur’s crest on the back, about a foot in length. Her boxy body and slightly bowed legs made it clear that her bloodline was mixed with a parasaur. She was a medium grey color that faded to ivory on her belly, with dark grey-brown bands around her neck and narrow stripes on her spine and sides from the tip of her muzzle to her tail. Her legs have faint stripes, but not as clear as the ones on her crest. Her orange-yellow eyes observed the newcomers curiously.

“This is Atlas,” Fabian said to the awed scientists, “He’s the youngest in terms of hatch date, and the only other male of the group. Sticks to Prometheus like glue, but we are on friendly terms. He’s part ankylosaurus, if you couldn’t tell, and Eos over there is part parasaur. Ironically, Eos is the second youngest of the group, but towers over everyone.”

“Incredible,” Dr. Grant muttered, taking a step towards the wall as Prometheus turned to look at him, “Ambitious, quite possibly stupid, but incredible.”

“Hm,” Fabian replied, keeping his own doubts about the project to himself, “Well, anyway. John is going to get on my ass if I don’t show off their skills, so how about a little hunting practice? Promo! Leave it!”

Prometheus whirled around, dropping the stick he had been attempting to throw over the wall for unknown reasons, and trilled at Fabian cheerfully. He trotted to his side and lightly butted his shoulder--which Fabian ignored--then walked to where the other Titans were gathered. Fabian pulled out a whistle and small stopwatch, motioning for the raptors to line up. While he would typically remain in the enclosure, this time Fabian left it and climbed to the viewing platform for safety’s sake. He was not in the business of getting eaten alive, despite what most people thought.

 _‘I blame John for my lack of self-preservation,’_ Fabian thought darkly.

“Hey! Promo, Rhea,” Fabian called, raising his hand and snapping to get the two leaders’ attention, “Focus, track me.” He slowly walked from one end of the viewing platform to the other, a small smile forming on his face as the raptor pack followed him on the ground. He paused at the other end and pressed a few buttons on a board to the side of him, then whistled sharply as the raptors’ attention switched from him to the small gate now opening below him.

The raptors trilled and chirped their annoyance as they watched the piglet dart between them, but all five managed to keep themselves in check and instead focused on Fabian, who still held his hand up in authority. He watched each of them in turn, focusing on their sharp, predatory eyes, flaring nostrils, and long talons that kept tapping impatiently on the ground. Finally, he let out a short, sharp whistle and lowered his hand, watching as all five raptors sprung into action and darted after the piglet.

“Watch the monitors behind you,” Fabian spoke into the microphone, causing the four viewers to jump slightly but turn around. Several cameras were hidden within the enclosure, allowing the viewers a true look at how the pack hunted.

Prometheus and Rhea were not in the lead, but rather in the center of the pack, trilling and chirping directions at the others. Rhea snarled and darted ahead of Prometheus, her eyes focused on something beyond the cameras, followed swiftly by Eos. Rhea leaped over a fallen branch and out of sight, Eos doing so as well moments later. Prometheus growled, his eyes darting the way Rhea ran, then split off the other way with Atlas, leaving Asteria in the camera’s range.

A sharp whistle rang out, this time two short blasts followed by a long, lower one, and Asteria disappeared into the brush at the edge of the clearing. Another camera caught Prometheus and Atlas pausing in their run, then looping inwards, back to the path the pig was on. Rhea and Eos were visible moments later, snarling and snapping at the pig. The squeals of terror were easy to track for the raptors, and the hunt was bringing their predator out.

“They hunt… remarkably,” Dr. Grant breathed, removing his hat in awe, “This is insane.”

“Aren’t we glad that there’s this-this wall between us and, uh, them,” Ian added, chuckling grimly as he watched the scene unfold.

“Imagine what they could accomplish without the borders,” Gennaro began, only to be glared at by the other three scientists.

“ _Watch now, it’s almost happening,_ ” Fabian’s voice crackled over the intercom, and four sets of eyes turned back to the monitors.

Prometheus and Atlas had taken up the back runners, being the slowest of the pack, with Eos and Rhea on the sides, snapping and snarling viciously as they ran. For an instant, one screen was filled with Rhea’s fearsome face. Her pupils were dilated and focused, saliva dripped from her savage teeth. In the next moment, it was gone. Finally, the pig came into view on the camera that viewed the clearing, but curiously no raptors were chasing it. It slowed for a moment, obviously exhausted by it’s run, and snuffled cautiously at the ground. Some instinct told it to run, as it began to try and escape back to the gate it exited.

The instinct came to late: Asteria was already upon it.

Following a single, low whistle, Asteria surged forward from her hiding place and jumped upon the piglet, one of the raised claws on her feet piercing into its flesh. The piglet screamed, but Asteria bit down on it quickly, silencing it with a single blow. The silence that followed was not long, as the other raptors appeared from the forest and chirped their success, nudging and nipping at each other.

Once again taking control, Fabian whistled loudly and raised his hand, causing five sets of raptor eyes to gaze up at him. He lowered his hand slowly, palm down, and all five raptors slowly crouched, keeping their eyes on him as best they could without breaking their necks. He twisted his hand to face palm up, then dropped it to his side and walked down from the viewing platform to grab a bucket of meat. He tossed four more carcesses in, each one landing at the feet of a raptor, then snapped. As if a bell had gone off, the Titan Pack quickly leaned down and snapped up their reward, each darting off to their own corner to devour it.

“Well,” Fabian said as he opened the door to the viewing room and ushered the four members out, “There you go. The Titan’s hunting, now John can’t get on me about that.”

“That was brilliant! Absolutely spectacular!” Gennaro could not hide the greed in his voice, and no other person in the room missed it. Fabian simply shrugged in response.

“If-if you think that, uh, natural hunting instincts are something that can be tamed or controled,” Ian began, ignoring Gennaro’s remark, “Then boy, either I’m proven right or out of a job.”

“Don’t get me wrong,” Fabian replied as he dropped the now empty bucket in a corner, “I know that you can’t change nature. Dinosaurs and man are separated by millions of years, and here I am trying to train them to roll over. But life likes to screw me over, it seems, so I thought I might as well try to do something incredible while I’m here, not that it’s going to end well.”

“Chaos Theory,” Ian replied, taking a seat on Fabian’s only chair, “What you’re talking about is chaos theory.”

“Regardless of what is going to happen,” Dr. Grant interrupted before Fabian could find a sharp retort, “I want to know if that’s how you trained them or if they hunted like that naturally. Do they really hunt in packs?”

“No idea,” Fabian said, “I’ve trained these guys since they were out of their eggs, they never really got the chance to hunt on their own.”

“Would the other raptors exhibit the same hunting traits?” It was Dr. Sattler who spoke up this time.

“You’re welcome to find out, but I prefer to stay as far away from those beasts as I can.”

“Beasts?” Dr. Grant glanced up from the raptor claw he was fiddling with.

“Yes, beasts,” Fabian replied, “Their pure predator; fierce, dangerous, and--as Ian would say--chaotic. My raptors are hybrids. With the exception of Rhea, they are all mixed with herbivores and their more docile traits. It’s why I am able to work with them so closely, especially with Prometheus, who was hatched first.”

“If Rhea is so dangerous, why do you keep her around,” Dr. Grant asked.

“Because she is part of the pack, you can’t just take a beta away and expect everything to remain in harmony. Balance is difficult enough, I don’t want to upset what I already have.” Fabian suddenly moved to the door to the enclosure, where Prometheus was standing expectantly. He paused and smiled at the raptor, who trilled and clicked his talons, then looked back at the endorsement team. “Anyone want to meet Prometheus?”

The silence was one of cautious fear and curiosity, each person glancing around at the others to see their reactions. Finally, Dr. Sattler nodded and smiled nervously.

“As long as you can keep him under control,” Dr. Grant added, standing back in caution as Ian looked vaguely worried.

“Mhm,” Fabian hummed as he unlocked and opened the door, only to be nudged out of the way by the impatient raptor on the other side.

Prometheus trotted out and looked around, chirping at the fidgeting and cautious people happily, then walked to where Gennaro sat. He froze, looking vaguely terrified as Prometheus sniffed his hat, then nudged his hand. When the alpha realized he would receive no attention from the man, he turned and trotted to Dr. Grant, who watched him carefully. He chirped once again, this time receiving the vaguest of smiles and a cautious pat on his head, which he leaned into. Finding a little more courage, Dr. Grant ran a hand along the side of Prometheus’s face and on his crest.

“Prometheus,” Fabian called, snapping the raptor’s attention to his handler. He trotted to his side and bumped his head into his ribs, causing Fabian to grunt. “You are bigger than you think, you idiot. Gonna knock me over like that. Dr. Sattler, why don’t you come say hi?”

“Oh, uh, sure,” Dr. Sattler moved forward, tentatively touching Prometheus’s frill. She was rewarded with his attention and a happy trill, then he moved to nuzzle into her hand some more. “This is… incredible. Ian, why don’t you come meet him?”

“Uh, no thanks,” Ian said, keeping a watchful eye on the dinosaur, “I prefer my limbs, uh, on my body.”

“He won’t rip your limbs off,” Fabian said as he leaned casually against a bench, “It’s Rhea that you really want to watch out for. Prometheus is more likely to give you a gift than anything.”

As if to demonstrate his point, Prometheus turned from Dr. Sattler and gazed intelligently at Ian, then went to sniff around the workshop. Moments later, he trotted over to Ian--who jerked back slightly in surprise--and dropped a broken box into his arms. He trilled expectantly and looked up at Ian, who smiled awkwardly and put the box to the side. Prometheus contemplated his actions before turning around and finding yet another object to give to him, this time a pile of wood chips.

Unfortunately for Ian, Prometheus enjoyed throwing things on people, as he did with the wood chips.

“Gah!” Ian stumbled back in confusion, causing Fabian to grin and laugh out loud while Dr. Sattler clapped and leaned back.

In a stroke of bad luck, just behind Dr. Sattler was the wall to the raptor exhibit, where Rhea was watching them like a hawk. The fierce raptor lunged forward with a screech, her jaws snapping shut on the edges of Dr. Sattler’s shirt as the fence bent inwards slightly.

Yelling and confusion filled the workshop as Fabian and Dr. Grant lunged forward to free her, Ian moments behind him. Gennaro stood up in concern but did not move to help, as Prometheus suddenly flashed past him and accidently smacked him with his thickly muscled tail. The alpha raptor crashed into the fence and snapped fiercely at the edge of Rhea’s jaw while growling a dangerous warning. Ian and Dr. Grant pulled Dr. Sattler free, Fabian moving to stand between them and the enclosure, watching carefully as Prometheus faced off with Rhea.

“What-what are they doing,” Dr. Sattler stuttered out.

“Dominance battle,” Fabian said without turning around, “Prometheus didn’t appreciate Rhea’s attack on you, so he’s putting her in her place.”

True to his word, Prometheus growled viciously and clicked his talons on the floor, his tail swishing ever so slightly. Rhea snarled back, but Prometheus was unintimidated and instead gave her a half roar in response. Rhea took a cautious step back, then a second as Prometheus growled again and snapped in her direction, then finally darted away into the forest. Prometheus visibly relaxed and turned to look at Dr. Sattler, who moved back.

“Good boy,” Fabian murmured, setting a hand on his flank and guiding him back to the enclosure, “Best you go back now, thank you for your help.” He watched for a moment as Prometheus glanced back once more, chirped, then trotted away.

With a sigh, Fabian turned back to the oppressively silent workshop. Ian was standing to one side, his typically confident smirk replaced by a frown, while Dr. Grant supported the recovering Dr. Sattler. Gennaro had hardly moved the entire time. Noticing that none of them were likely to say anything, Fabian motioned to the main door.

“I think it would be best you go now, sorry about that. I’ll meet you all at lunch.”

Dr. Grant just nodded, his eyes a harsh glare, then helped Dr. Sattler to her feet and guided her out. Gennaro followed them moments later, but Ian hesitated, finally recovering his cocky grin.

“I was right,” Ian said, walking towards him.

“About what?”

“You.”

 _“Excuse me?_ Care to elaborate?”

“Nah, nah,” Ian laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, “Joking. I was right about the raptors. Mother nature made the instincts; they will, uh, find a way.”

Fabian smirked humorlessly, “Never said I doubted you.”

“See?! See? People do like me.”

“Never said I liked you either.”

Ian laughed again, “I can tell. I’ll see you at lunch.”

Fabian watched as he walked away, an unintentional smile on his face. He would never admit it, but Ian was right that he liked him, perhaps more than was healthy. Things didn’t end well with Emmett, and he doubted things would ever start with Ian. Better to just leave things as they were: chaotic.

At least there was balance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 done! Who was your favorite raptor from the Titans? One day I will draw all of them, but right now I’m just enjoying writing. Next chapter I’ll speed through the trike scene and get to the good part, finally... Chapter 3 should be up later this month, large school project pending!


	3. Chaos Spiral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long with posting this! I had several large school projects all at once that I had to keep up on, as well as end of year testing. This is not the longest of chapters and only went through half my usual editing routine, but I thought you guys would like to read it sooner. Enjoy!

“Okay so maybe it wasn't the best of ideas to let Prometheus out,” Fabian stared intently at the piece of jerky in his hands as he lounged in the jeep while Muldoon leaned against the hood.

“Not the best? It was a bloody terrible idea,” Muldoon exclaimed loudly, quieting down when Fabian glared at him. “Jesus, Fabian, you could have gotten one of them killed!”

“Yeah, I know,” the raptor trainer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Promo himself isn't dangerous, but I let my guard down on Rhea. I'm such a  _ fool _ , could have gotten any one of them  _ killed.” _

Muldoon sighed, handing Fabian a canteen of water to go with their impromptu lunch, “We live and work among beasts, we can't be expected to know their every move. Hammond takes some blame for this, as do we. For now, let's get this crew through the park without any deaths.”

Fabian nodded, tossing the canteen back and laying down on the uncomfortable seats once again. Muldoon glanced at him with a curious frown before straightening up and staring at the visitors center where the endorsement team and John were having their own lunch.

“Here's something, why aren't you in there? Could have had a proper lunch,” Muldoon gestured at the building vaguely.

“Eh,” Fabian fiddled with his bracelet, “Not in the mood to deal with the arguments. Plus, the foods not to my taste.”

“Fair enough,” Muldoon conceded, “I'll be off then.” The coworkers exchanged nods, the Muldoon left with quick, purposeful steps while Fabian continued to lay in the jeep. He knew that the endorsement team would emerge any minute now--John wanted to show them the tour--and he would once again need to play nice.

It was moments later that a set of cars pulled up and two young children tumbled out. The first was a small boy with sandy brown hair, clutching a book and chattering away to the driver. His sister was taller, dirty blonde hair falling just past her shoulders as she rolled her eyes at her brothers non stop talking. Fabian pushed himself up and out of the jeep, running a hand through his hair briefly before approaching.

“You might want to go inform John that his grandkids have arrived,” Fabian smiled politely at the driver, who nodded and left, “You must be Tim and Lex?”

“Yes, and who are you?” Lex took charge, watching Fabian with cautious curiosity.

“Fabian Riehl, dinosaur trainer and Titan Pack alpha.” Fabian offered his hand, “Your grandfather hired me for this park a while back.”

Lex took his hand and shook it politely, “Where  _ is _ our grandfather?”

“Inside, having lunch if I do believe,” Fabian motioned to the visitor center, “I sent the driver to fetch him and the endorsement team.”

“Is Dr. Grant in the endormat team?” Tim pipped up, bouncing on his feet as he clung to Fabian’s jacket in excitement.

Fabian smiled down at him, the young boy’s mispronunciation and endless energy reminding him of Celeste, “Yes; the team is Dr. Grant, Dr. Malcolm, Dr. Sattler, and Mr. Gennaro. You a fan?”

“Oh absolutely! He’s incredible, I’ve read all of his books,” Tim grinned, pulling out a book, “I have so many questions. Did you know-”

Fabian looked up as he heard the door opening, letting a sigh of relief escape him as he saw John and the endorsement team exit the building. The kids screamed in delight, running up the steps to hug their grandfather who laughed joyfully at their reaction. Fabian noted the confused and concerned looks on Ian, Dr. Grant, and Dr. Sattler’s faces--likely regarding having small children on an unfinished island full of dinosaurs. He was glad his concern was shared, though he couldn’t help but smile as Dr. Grant was bombarded by questions from young Tim, who was following him at the heel.

“Fabian,” John called cheerfully, “I was hoping you could accompany the good doctors on this tour, maybe take them to see your raptors again after it is finished.”

“Tour yes, no problem there, but Rhea was stilled riled up from strangers earlier. It would be better for everyone if we leave them alone for the day. Maybe another time,” Fabian tried his best to keep his words neutral, as he did need the job and funding for his conservation back home.

“Ah, well, perhaps another day, should the doctors care to come back. Now then, for the tour you will get in these cars--no no, no need for a driver. They follow the electric path along the park. In you go, children too.” Fabian grabbed his satchel from the jeep as John ushered the children down the steps before returning to the visitors center, no doubt to commentate from the control room.

Fabian watched with an amused smile as Dr. Grant first attempted to claim the first car for the adults, only to find his gremlin following him. With an annoyed frown, Dr. Grant slipped out the other side of the car and shut the door, then escaped to the second car where Dr. Sattler had already claimed the passenger's front seat. Fabian climbed into the back tossing his bag casually on the floor and returning Dr. Sattler’s friendly smile, thankful that she didn’t hold a grudge to him. Dr. Grant climbed into the front seat, Ian settling behind him with a cocky smirk, his sunglasses back in place.

“ _ Now, the voice you are hearing is Richard Kiley--we spared no expense in hiring him. _ ” John’s voice crackled over the speaker as the car started forward, Fabian smirking at Ian’s eye roll. “ _ Just sit back and enjoy the ride. First up, the dilophosaurus.” _

“So, uh, Fabian,” Ian began, twisting in his seat to better face the rest of the car, “You ever work with the other dinosaurs?”

“Hell no,” Fabian replied, fiddling with his bracelet once again, “I don’t have a death wish, believe it or not. The only reason I can work with the Titans to a moderate degree is because they are hybrids, part herbivore, and not as aggressive. I’ve never even laid eyes on the dilophosaurus--not sure if I really want to either.”

“No death wish, huh,” Ian grinned cheekily at him, “You sure have a funny way of showing it.”

“So I’ve been told,” Fabian offered a small smile, falling silent as Kiley’s voice sounded over the speaker to inform the riders about the dilophosaurus’--something Fabian had heard far too many times by now from his interactions with the development team. His thoughts briefly wandered back to Emmett, who had always said almost exactly what Ian had, but he pushed those thoughts away, instead peering out the window with the rest of the car.

“Where  _ are _ they,” Dr. Sattler muttered, trying to glimpse the elusive creatures through the brush. The other doctors peered curiously out the window, but none of them finding any success in their endeavours and instead left to their own disappointment as the car rolled forward all too soon. 

“Well that was…” Dr. Grant paused, trying to phrase his thought politely.

“Unimpressive? Anti-climatic?” Ian offered, drumming his fingers on the car door.

“Well, yes. That works.”

“ _ Now now,” _ John’s voice sounded over the speaker once again, “ _ Give it a chance. The T-Rex paddock is next, it’s quite the impressive sight. _ ”

The cars once again pulled up to a stop outside of the T-Rex paddock, Fabian reached forward and switched off the tour guide’s voice before it could bore them all to death. All members of the car leaned over once again--Fabian trying hard not to lean on Ian--but were once again disappointed as there was no rex to be seen. Fabian sighed in annoyance as he leaned back into his seat when the car jerked forward once again.

“Uh, hello,” Ian said, leaning forward to where the camera and microphone were, “You are, uh, you are going to have, uh, actual  _ dinosaurs _ on your dinosaur tour eventually, right? Hello?” 

Fabian had to smile at the comment as Ian sat back, a cocky smirk on his face. 

“You see, the tyrannosaur doesn’t obey the uh, uh, park schedules or set patterns, it’s the  _ essence _ of chaos,” Ian said, glancing at Dr. Grant and Fabian while drumming on the seat occupied by Dr. Sattler.

“I’m still not totally clear on chaos,” Dr. Sattler commented, twisting around in her seat.

“Oh you see, it’s just, uh, dealing with probability in-in complex systems,” Ian replied excitedly, leaning forward, “In short, it’s the butterfly effect. You know, when-when a butterfly flaps its wings in central park and you get rain instead of sunshine.”

Dr. Sattler looked absolute confused, smiling brightly at Ian as she laughed waved her head above her head in confusion.

“Did I go to fast? I went too fast, I go to fast, did a fly by,” Ian chattered, still grinning in excitement, “Here, pass me that water glass we’re going to conduct an experiment.”

Fabian glanced over at Dr. Grant, who was staring determinedly out the window, then turned back to Ian and Dr. Sattler.

“Right, so think about it--you too Fabian. If I place a drop of water on your hand, what-what way is it going to roll off?” Ian grabbed Fabian’s hand and held it up, glancing at Dr. Sattler to ensure she was listening.

“Er, how about backwards?” Fabian felt slightly awkward but made no move to take his hand back.

Ian took a drop of water and watched it roll down the back of Fabian’s hand, then wiped the water off. “Okay, now if I do it again, which way will it roll? The same way?”

Fabian nodded in response, watching as Ian once again dropped water on his knuckle, but this time it slid down the side. 

“See? See? That’s unpredictability, that’s chaos. Tiny changes, imperfections in your skin, the amount of blood in your vessels, the orientation of your hair. All tiny factors that can change the outcome.”

“Fascinating,” Fabian replied, for once realizing that he was actually interested in it, and not just due to the handsome man touching his hand (which he was all too aware of). He turned to see if Dr. Grant was paying attention, only to see him opening the door and stumbling out of the moving car.

“See? I’m right, no one could have predicted that Dr. Grant would just, uh, uh,  _ climb _ out of a moving car.” Ian pointed aggressively at the disappearing form of Dr. Grant.

“Alan?” Ellie called in concern as she climbed out after him with only a moment's hesitation.

“Now that’s chaos, who could have ever predicted that half the car would climb out for no reason,” Ian smiled over to Fabian, who was peering intently out the window. Fabian suddenly reached forward and flicked a hidden switch up by the controls, stopping the car and climbing out.

“Come on, Ian. They didn’t get out for no reason,” Fabian grabbed his bag and helped Ian shuffle out of the cramped car, leading the way into the brush as the children tumbled out from the first car.

Fabian slung his bag over his shoulder and led the way through the tall brush, pulling up short behind Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler and looking out. Some meters away was a large, brown-grey form lying on its side, breath heavily. With a quick glance at the doctors staring in awe, Fabian trudged forward and led the way into the clearing, stopping to talk to the medic crouched beside the form. A massive triceratops lay on her side, breathing heavily and groaning every once in a while, watching the group gather with beaded eyes. Dr. Grant tentatively walked forward, putting a hand gently on the beast's side before lying flat to her side, grinning broadly as the beast took in a great breath and allowed his to feel it breath.

“What’s wrong with her?” It was Tim who spoke up, standing back where Ian observed with a concerned face, “Is she sick?”

“Looks like it,” Fabian replied, patting her side, “I’m no dino expert, but its probably something she ingested. There’s no visible wounds, and from what the medic said this is pretty regular.”

“Maybe it’s one of the plants,” Dr. Sattler muttered, moving off to diagnose the issue. Fabian retreated from the group, going to stand by Ian as the others worked to find the problem.

“From what I’ve heard, there’s supposed to be a huge storm on its way today,” Fabian commented as he and Ian followed Dr. Sattler at a small distance, “In theory, John will evacuate the island.”

“Well, we, uh, know how much John cares about this project, might not-not actually happen,” Ian replied.

“Fair enough.”

Fabian watched in mildly disgusted amusement as Dr. Sattler kneeled by a large pile of dung, Ian quipping that it was--more accurately--one big pile of shit. The doctors began to converse among themselves, attempting to figure out exactly what caused the triceratops to fall ill so frequently. Finally, Dr. Sattler brought up the selection of poisonous plants in the area, offering that the creature ate pebbles or dirt infused with oils and juices from the roots while it was foraging. Both Fabian and Ian observed in general silence, ever once in a while offering their opinion. Ian made an absolutely disgusted face when Dr. Sattler reached into the rancid pile of shit to help the situation, which caused Fabian to chuckle slightly to himself. Eventually, Fabian’s radio crackled to life, causing Fabian to grab it and turn the volume up.

“ _ Fabian, Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, Dr. Malcolm,” _ John’s voice came over the radio, “ _ Assuming you can hear me, it would be best to get back now. There’s a tropical storm coming pretty fast, final evacuations to the mainland have begun for staff. There will be a helicopter landing shortly for you and the children to take back to the mainland. Understand?” _

“Yeah, we got it John,” Fabian replied, “Will be there soon, start up the cars once we get back.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here for a little while, make sure this triceratops is okay,” Dr. Sattler asked from her position crouched next to the dinosaur.

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Fabian began, frowning, “From what I hear, this storm is going to be the worst of the century.”

“Well, chaos theory says you can’t predict everything, right?” Dr. Sattler replied, glancing at Ian.

“That’s-that’s not exactly what I was saying,” Ian laughed awkwardly, “But sure, we will go with that.”

Fabian found himself being looked at for direction, a responsibility he did not like when it came to humans, but sighed and relented. “Alright, just get a ride back with the medic as soon as possible, the staff cars run on gas and don’t need to be on the road.”

With brief goodbyes, Fabian lead the way back to the cars as the wind picked up, grabbing hold of Tim as he slipped on the slope. He set the child down and ushered them into the first car, followed closely by Gennaro, then jogged back to the second car, slipping into the back along with Ian. The car started up, heading back the way they came at the same, steady pace. 

It was quite in the car for some time as the rain began to fall, drumming gently on the roof  while wind whipped up around them outside. Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop, the darkness of night descending quickly as the storm overhead grew. Fabian looked up from his hands, peering out the window in confusion while Dr. Grant and Ian did the same.

“Is this, uh, part of the-the tour?” Ian said hesitantly, pressing his face to the cool window.

“Not at all, especially since the order was to evacuate,” Fabian replied, trying his radio to no success, “My best guess is we wait here for now.”

“I’ll check on the children,” Dr. Grant spoke up suddenly, climbing out of the stuffy car. He darted through the pouring rain and opened the other car’s doors, apparently talking quietly with the occupants.

“So, uh, Fabian,” Ian spoke up, settling against the car door, “This happen often?”

“Tropical storms don’t happen often,” Fabian replied, unconsciously playing with his bracelet again, “But I can’t imagine the power would go out so suddenly. Hopefully John will get in contact soon and we can get to a safer place.”

“Yeah,” Ian trailed off, staring at Fabian’s hands, “You always play with your bracelet when you’re anxious?”

“Hm?” Fabian glanced down at his hand, forcing himself to stop fidgeting with the familiar beads, “Oh, that. Not something I usually do, guess the tour put my nerves on edge.”

“Was it a gift?”

“Yeah, from my old… partner,” Fabian said carefully, unsure of Ian’s opinions on the matter and still not fond of talking about it. Luckily, before Ian could continue to pry information out of Fabian, Dr. Grant returned, slipping into the car in soaking wet clothes.

“Children are alright,” Dr. Grant grunted, holding out his canteen to collect the rain, “Just a little shaken.”

The next few moments were thick with silence as each man pondered their situation. Fabian frowned slightly, a strange feeling overcoming him. He glanced around, trying to place the emotion, suddenly likening it to the look on the young pigs’ faces as he let the Titan pack hunt their dinner. Despite the heavy rainfall, Fabian peered out the window at the dark outdoors, watching the wires between them and the T-Rex enclosure with cautious eyes. He saw Ian leaning forward to peer intensely at the glass of water sitting on the dashboard. Fabian looked at it closely, noticing now what Ian had seen: the water was rippling in intervals. Like tremors of an earthquake, or something very large approaching. Suddenly, three sets of eyes snapped up to the emerging figure from the car in front of them, watching as Mr. Gennaro sprinted from the safety of the car to the nearby bathrooms.

“Well,” Ian began in confusion, “When you gotta go, you gotta go.”

“I don’t think that’s the issue,” Fabian said, lifting a hand to point at the wire fence that was swaying dangerously, but not in the wind. Ian climbed into the front seat, leaning forward with a strange look on his face.

Before their eyes, the suddenly incredibly flimsy looking wires began to snap, falling uselessly to the side as a massive form muscled its way through. A large, scaled head with terrifyingly large teeth emerged, its huge, muscled body following. The water on the dash rippled as it’s giant clawed foot stomped on the ground, a deafening roar sounding only a heartbeat moment later. 

“See? I was right, I was right th entire time,” Ian breathed as his heartbeat almost visibly quickened. Fabian found himself wishing dearly that he had taken the chance to leave before then, trying to calm the shaking of his limbs.

“Don’t move a muscle,” Dr. Grant breathed, settling rigidly into the seat, “Her vision is based on movement.”

“Let’s hope the raptors aren’t out,” Fabian muttered to himself, “We wouldn’t be able to hide so easily.” He frowned even as he said the words allowed, seeing a far too bright light appear from the car in front, “Turn off the light, she can see you like that.”

They all watched with bated breath as the Rex leaned toward the open door of the car, searching for the elusive prey she knew existed. Suddenly, she headbutted the car, sending screams of terror up from children and almost forcing Fabian out of his seat in fear. The car rocked dangerously as the Rex slammed her head into the car again, and again, and again before finally giving up for a moment. She lifted her muzzle and for a moment appeared to be ready to leave, but instead slammed her face into the glass roof of the car. Fabian sucked in a harsh breath as the glass fell into the car, luckily not breaking.

Dr. Grant suddenly glanced back at Fabian, “Is there anything there in the back we can use? A gun or something?”

“There’s small tranquilizers but not nearly enough to take down her, there might be flares,” Fabian replied, tearing his eyes away from the horrifying sight and turning to dig around the plain grey case he knew contained the emergency supplies. He pulled out a flare and tossed it to Dr. Grant. “Dr. Grant… Alan, if you’re about to do what I think you’re going to do, be careful. She’s faster than she looks.”

Alan glanced heavily at him, a frown on his face, “I know, all too well. Stay here.” Without another word, Alan climbed out of the car and lit the flare, holding it far from him body as he slowly approached the Rex. 

Both Fabian and Ian froze as the Rex turned to face the paleontologist, watching in fear as he threw the flare to the other side and stood stock still, letting the beast chase the light. He darted around the dinosaur quickly to where the car lay, now overturned, and began to help the children. Ian turned around and dug around for another flare, Fabian frowning deeply at him.

“Ian, don’t” Fabian tried uselessly, as the chaostician was already climbing out of the car. 

The Rex was once again approaching the car, spinning it in circles as Alan and Lex tried to stay huddled behind it. Ian lit the flare, calling loudly to catch the attention of the Rex before half turning and jogging away from the terrible beast. Fabian sat frozen, realizing he was truly not going to make it. He almost didn’t move as the Rex approached, before startling out of the trance and almost throwing himself out of the car. Moments later, a ear-splitting grinding sounded as the car collapsed under the gigantic pressure of the Rex stepping on it as if it were nothing more than a speck of dust. Fabian rolled away from the wreck, peering through his bangs just in time to see the massive maw of the T-Rex clamp shut around Ian’s leg and fling him into the bathroom wall. 

Fabian had to bite his hand to keep from screaming in fear, his heart nearly stopping as he lost sight of the black clad form. He scrambled for a moment, reaching into his bag where he kept his own flares and tugged one out, shakily lighting it and letting out a sharp whistle--one of the signals to his pack ironically--before tossing the flare back into the enclosure. The Rex did give chase to the flying light, but Fabian’s plan backfired as the Rex shoved the car over the edge--a terrified shriek sounding along with it Fabian gasped in horror, his hair plastered to his face and his comfortable shirt soaked to the bone.

Trying to pull himself together, Fabian scrambled to his feet and stumbled to the collapsed form of the bathroom. His heart froze as he realized the dark substance under his feet was blood. His eyes followed the trail to half a body lying on the brown, grey pants splattered in red. Gennaro. Fabian let out a guilty sigh of relief, then shook his head and crouched down, carefully shuffling through the debris.

When a low groan sounded from his right, Fabian darted forward and threw the heavy boards aside, his breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of the black clad form lying underneath.

“Ian,” Fabian breathed, pausing for a moment to watch his chest rise and fall unsteadily. He followed the blood trail down to Ian’s leg, where a large and gruesome gash ripped through his flesh. 

Fabian fumbled in his bag, pulling out a set of wet bandages and some cloth. He grabbed two pieces of wood, flinching as he felt a tremor run through the earth, then focused on his task again and quickly splint the damaged leg. It was a rough job--Fabian was no doctor--but it would have to do. They could not stay around and wait for the Rex to come back, and they could only hope she was not hungry anymore--though Fabian found the implications of that just as sickening. 

“Ian,” Fabian said again, gently shaking the chaostician, “Ian come on, wake up. I can’t carry you like this, and we can’t stay. Ian, come on.”

Ian groaned again, slowly opening his eyes to stare unfocused in the direction of Fabian. “Hm?”

“Oh good, your alive,” Fabian said, helping the injured man sit up, “Listen, I know you probably are really hurt but we need to get a move on. Normally I wouldn’t want to move you, but--”

The distant roar of a hungry Rex sounded, making both men flinch.

“Please do, let’s go” Ian gulped, clinging to Fabian and he pulled the both of them to their feet. 

Fabian slung one arm around Ian and pulled one of Ian’s over his shoulder to help him walk. He stumbled slightly under the weight, then moving forward slowly. He felt his heart beating faster than ever as they stumbled away from their certain death.    
‘ _ From one certain death to another uncertain death,’ _ Fabian thought grimly, struggling under the weight of the taller man, ‘ _ I really should start taking people’s advice when it comes to self preservation. Or maybe John should take mine.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked that! Trying to keep semi-canon events while also working my own story, would love to hear some feedback on how you like it so far!


	4. Raptors Abound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we get into the Fun stuff! Sorry for the long delay, had some other stuff I was wanting to write and new cats who... are not social.

The quiet around Fabian was as deafening as the vicious roar of the Tyrannosaurus Rex they had just left behind. 

It was not completely silent of course; the rain still battered down on the weary men as they limped along, their breaths came in heavy spurts, Ian still grunted in pain every few steps, and Fabian’s sharp ears--trained by a lifetime of working with dangerous animals--could faintly detect the sound of footsteps. Or at least, so he thought.

It was dangerous to be out in the open during such a storm, partially due to the temperature dropping as night fell while rain soaked their clothes: the cold bit into their flesh like tiny teeth. On the other hand, the more immediate danger from the rampant dinosaurs took priority. As far as Fabian knew, only the Rex environment had failed and released the terror within, but he would not put it past the storm to screw him over in more than just a giant lizard way. Also known as, the other enclosures had a very real chance of failure and Fabian had absolutely no idea how to fight prehistoric creatures that scientists meddled with; his raptors were a vague exception.

“So, uh, you think they are okay?” Ian panted, still clutching at Fabian’s shoulders to stay upright.

“I don’t know,” Fabian huffed, slowing them down to duck under a small tree and rest for a moment, “With the car falling into the Rex enclosure we can only hope Alan is smart enough to get the kids and find somewhere hidden.”

“He is a, uh, world renowned paleontologist,” Ian replied, leaning against the tree, shoulder to shoulder with Fabian, “He knows his dinosaurs, and I-I think he rather  _ likes _ children, ironically.”

“Is that so,” Fabian replied with a tiny smile. Knowing they only had a few minutes to rest, Fabian dug around his bag for a moment and pulled out the remainders of his jerky lunch, handing part of it to Ian along with his canteen. He glanced down at the makeshift brace on Ian’s leg and frowned; the fabric was heavily stained with red and soaked through with rain. He would have to change it for it to be effective, but he was almost out of bandages.

“Yeah, I uh, asked him about it but-but he denied it,” Ian said through a mouthful of jerky, trying not to wince as Fabian fiddled with the bandages, “Not exactly sure what good that will do against actual dinosaurs though. Who could have predicted this? You see, that-that’s chaos. Everything is gonna spiral out of control now, and we-”

Fabian slapped a hand over Ian’s mouth suddenly, effectively cutting off his rambling as a noise caught his attention. He glanced at Ian, who stared wide-eyed with fear, then shuffled out from the tree canopy slightly, trying to motion for Ian to not follow (which Ian, of course, ignored). Fabian straightened up from his crouch, squinting through the rain despite his instincts telling him this was a terrible idea. The noise sounded again, making Fabian’s eyes snap towards a dark figure in the rain.

“Fabian,” Ian said cautiously, only to get shushed by said man.

The rain continued to fall in heavy sheets and obscure Fabian’s vision. Throwing his caution and self preservation to the wind, Fabian carefully paced forward, hearing Ian struggling to his feet and hopping behind him. A sudden hissing noise sounded just ahead of them, startling Fabian into stepping back and nearly knocking Ian down.

Only a few meters in front of them was a medium sized creature covered in green scales. It sported two crests on the top of its head and a fan like mane around it’s head, which was currently flaring out in anger. Fabian shuffled backwards, gripping Ian’s arm to help him balance as he watched the sharp teeth glint in the low light.

“ _ Fabian, _ ” Ian said more urgently, gripping at Fabian’s soaked jacket like a life line, “We need to leave.”

“I agree, but something tells me you and I aren’t fast enough to outrun this angry dilophosaurus,” Fabian hissed back, continuing to back away as the dilophosaurus slowly stalked forward, it’s fan relaxing back slightly. Fabian’s eyes never left the predatory features of the dinosaur ahead of them.

‘ _ I am so done with this job _ ,’ Fabian found himself thinking, despite the fact that he was  _ supposed _ to be coming up with some method of survival. On that fact, his mind was drawing a blank.

Another angry hiss sounded, and the dilophosaurus sent a viscous spit of acid towards them. Fabian leaped back, dragging Ian unceremoniously with him only to trip on his own feet and fall onto his back. Panic ripped through Fabian as he heard the claws of the dilophosaurus approaching, and he grabbed frantically at Ian’s shoulder and pulled him back, trying to ignore the yelp of pain and Ian’s leg was jostled on the rough ground.

Fabian glanced back, desperately searching for a weapon but coming up empty. He saw the scaled features of the dinosaur in great detail now, it’s all too intelligent eyes flicking between the two men, it’s sharp teeth barely visible between its lips. Suddenly, it opened its maw, thoroughly convincing Fabian that this would be his death: acid to the face and eaten by a dinosaur. He sucked in a shaky breath, trying to shove Ian out of the way and squeezing his eyes shut.

The hissing noise he so expected came, but not from in front of him. Fabian peered backwards, squinting through the rain to see where the angry hiss originated, only to catch a flash of grey blue scales flying past him, making both Fabian and Ian flinch back. Fabian shot up, flipping his wet hair out of his eyes to watching the spectacle before him.

Caught in a fierce battle of tooth and nail was the dilophosaurus and Prometheus. The raptor had the size and speed of the other reptile, but his natural defense from the crest on his head was minimal due to its size. Prometheus thrashed his tail and snapped angrily and the dilophosaurus’ neck, slamming his back foot into the soft underbelly of his enemy repeatedly, snarling the entire time. The dilophosaurus twisted out of Prometheus’s grasp, stumbling back two steps before flaring it’s crest up and spitting acid at the raptor’s face. Prometheus screeched in pain, stumbling back just in time to crash into Rhea as she surged forward. 

With a sideways glance to her technical alpha, Rhea snarled fiercely at the dilophosaurus and lunged forward. She snatched at the underside of its neck, trying to avoid the angry teeth that snapped inches away from her back. Moments later, backup in the form of Eos surged in, lifting the dilophosaurus off of Rhea and flinging it into the fence nearby. The bloodied form crumpled to the ground with a crash and did not rise again.

Fabian tried to calm his quick beating heart to no success, realizing he was still gripping Ian’s forearm with a bone crushing embrace. He forced his cold-stiffened fingers to release the black fabric and pushed himself shakily to his feet, waving away the concerned hand from Ian and faced the Titan pack. Prometheus had managed to get the majority of the venom off his face, though the area around his eyes was still angry and red as he stumbled back to the pack. Eos was crouched over Rhea, who was climbing to her own feet with annoyed snarls. Atlas skirted the edge of the pack, checking the body of the dilophosaurus before padding to Prometheus’ side; the alpha male let out a small happy chirp as he arrived. Asteria appeared from the shadows, her feathers thick with rain, but her eyes relatively happy. Prometheus chirped happily at her, starting towards his packmate only to be stopped short by a protective growl from Rhea.

Fabian glanced back at Ian once again, recognizing the wide eyes of fear that must be mirrored in his own face, before swallowing the lump in his throat and returning his gaze to his pack. He licked his lips a few times, unsure if calling attention to the two of them was wise, then cast aside his doubts and let out a short, sharp whistle. Five sets of fierce, raptor eyes snapped towards Fabian and he felt frozen to the spot, his heart slamming at his ribs in fear. He forced himself to focus and turned his eyes to Prometheus, lifting his hand slowly before beckoning the hybrid raptor to approach. Despite his own orders, Fabian flinched back as Prometheus padded forward slowly, squinting at his master.

Steadying his hand, Fabian gently reached out to touch the rough skin of the raptor, being rewarded with a soft, purr like noise from Prometheus as he leaned into the touch. Fabian glanced back again at Ian, who was watching with guarded caution, then gently led the raptor to his side by a hand on his nose. He was pained to see the irritated red flesh around Prometheus’ eyes, but that was not a huge concern at the moment; he just hoped it had not blinded him completely.

“Well, Promo, I am… not sure what you have done,” Fabian finally said, looking at the raptor pack that still stared intently at him, waiting for a command, “Not sure how you got out--unless the power is down--but you have quite good timing. Can’t say I’m too upset at you guys, saved our asses I think, let’s just hope you stay that way.”

“Wait wait wait,” Ian said quickly, propping himself up on his elbows, “You-you want to  _ bring them along _ ? Are you crazy? We are already dealing with-with a- a bunch of crazed genetic creations running around, and you want to bring in  _ more _ unstable creations? Man against nature is one thing, and in this case life has already found a way and is trying to  _ eat us _ !”

“Shhhhh,” Fabian frantically gestured for Ian to lower his voice, “I know you don’t trust them but from the way I see it, we are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and both have teeth. I’d rather have five sets of teeth that are on our side than five sets of teeth wandering around without a leader.”

“So, what,” Ian sat up all the way, a disbelieving look on his face, “You-you can control them? From what I see, Rhea was a wildcard and still is-”

“Don’t discount the entire pack based on one raptor,” Fabian snapped, turning to the raptors and raising a closed fist to release them from attention, “Yeah, Rhea is stubborn and fierce and dangerous, but so is the Rex. Prometheus is our translator, he listens to me regardless and knows how to handle Rhea and the others. Prometheus listens to me, the raptors listen to Prometheus, maybe we get out of here alive. You’re injured, you can’t even  _ walk _ , Alan and the kids are God knows where, and everyone else is either at the visitor’s center or  _ dead _ . I’d say this is a long shot, but it’s the only one we  _ have _ and I fully intend to try my hardest to get the both of us out alive, Rex be damned. Now shut up and let’s get moving!”

Fabian could cut the tension in the air with a knife if he had one. He belatedly realized he had just half yelled at an injured, very much in pain man who had only seen the dangers of his pack and not the safety they could provide. Letting out an angry sigh, Fabian turned away and ran a hand through his hair, pulling the soaked locks out of the pony tail it had been in before they tangled. He paced for a moment, passing a concerned looking Eos sheltering Rhea and Atlas from the rain, then turned back to Ian with intentions to apologize.

“Look, Ian,” Fabian began, a pained frown on his face, “I did-”

It was Prometheus who cut Fabian off, trotting to where Ian lay with a large stick clamped in his mouth. The blue-grey raptor set it down carefully--ignoring Ian’s flinch away--then chirped happily and waved his tail, vaguely reminding Fabian of a dog. Ian watched this with a cautious gaze before carefully picking up the stick to the absolute delight of Prometheus. Ian looked at Fabian in confusion, who smirked in amusement at the strange sight.

“Like I said before, he thinks he’s helping. Gave me a spoon when I got a splinter once,” Fabian said softly, walking forward to gently pat the alpha’s side, “Out of all the raptors, Promo is the most human. But, as I was saying, I really didn’t mean to get so angry. We  _ are _ running out of time though, and I know you don’t trust the Titans but we haven’t got much of a choice at the moment.”

Ian was silent for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration, then sighed and pushed himself up, accepting Fabian’s offer of assistance. “There’s a million things that could go wrong, a million things that could make this prove my Chaos Theory yet again, but at least there is a chance. Besides, I’m in-in too much pain to, uh, figure out a different plan.”

Fabian couldn’t help but chuckle at his response, slinging Ian’s arm around his shoulder and pulling Ian to his feet as best he could. Ian grunted in pain, swaying dangerously for a moment, then rightened himself and leaned heavily on Fabian. The pair began to limp forward once again, shuffling through the rain towards the direction of the visitor’s center. 

Both men flinched as they heard a far off roar, hoping that it was not the Rex finding their friends. Fabian leaned more of Ian’s weight on himself and tried to quicken their progress but slowed down at Ian’s pained cry. The pair hobbled over to a wall and Fabian set Ian down carefully, leaning his back against the wet concrete.

“We’re going too slowly,” Fabian said quietly, leaning over Ian, “If we don’t speed things up we are gonna end up as dino food. Soon as we get to shelter I’ll find some morphine for you, but you gotta last till then. I can’t carry you.”

“Maybe not,” Ian said, his eyes glazed over with pain, “But if-if you put me on Eos then we can move faster. Ha, listen to me! Who would have thought, Ian Malcolm buying into the ‘safe dinosaurs’ thing.”

Fabian found himself smilingly fondly at Ian, wanting to brush the hair from his face but knowing it was not--and likely never would be--his place for that. He was not a Mrs. Malcolm, ex or not. His eyes lingered On Ian’s face--perhaps too long--before Fabian stood up and motioned Eos over. After pointlessly soothing the unflappable raptor-hybrid, Fabian reached down to help Ian to his feet, wincing at the pained noises, then helped hoist him upon the incredibly tall dinosaur.

Eos made a strange chattering noise, glancing at Prometheus and Rhea as Ian settled on her back. She took a few tentative steps, trying to peer back at Ian as she did so, then settled down and turned back to Fabian. The raptor trainer ran a soothing hand over her crest in reassurance, then whistled to the rest of the pack and began to lead the way, while keeping a close eye on Ian.

“Tell me if we are going too fast and jostle your leg,” Fabian called up to the black clad man, feeling thoroughly dwarfed by how high up he was now, “We can move faster like this but I would still prefer to avoid ripping your leg in half.”

“As would I,” Ian replied absentmindedly. His gaze was focused on the brown-grey scales in front of him, gripping Eos’s neck for dear life. Fabian felt a flash of fondness for Eos as she continued her easy-going walk, sometimes glancing back to ensure Ian was still seated on her back. Or, that was how Fabian interpreted that; he was not able to actually read the raptors’ minds, unfortunately.

They continued their progress through the rainy park in relative silence, Fabian occasionally calling a raptor’s name to bring them back under control. It was clear to Fabian that Ian was in quite a lot of pain, quite possibly nearing passing out. The chaotician was leaning dangerously to the side, trying desperately to keep his eyes open. Finally, Fabian took pity on the injured man and motioned for the raptors to halt, glancing back in annoyance as Asteria--who was not paying attention--bumped into his back and made him stumble forward. Several meters away was a decent sized shack--the herbivore feed shack if Fabian remembered correctly--that seemed to relatively unharmed by the heavy rains and strong winds. 

“Wait here,” Fabian said, pausing only to ensure that Ian had heard him before creeping forward to inspect the possible shelter. He pushed open the door with great caution, straining to see into the darkness inside before remembering that he had a flashlight. Fabian fumbled with his pack for a moment, then pulled out the flashlight and turned it on, stepping into the shack fully.

The inside was a little smaller than his garage and surprisingly empty, considering it was supposed to be a food shack. There were several bales of hay and empty buckets strewn around, and the back half had several crates stacked high. Fabian assumed that the shack had been re-purposed as storage right before the storm hit, but he would not complain. It was a relatively warm and dry inside, and most importantly away from possible T-Rex attacks. Prometheus would fit inside--as a precaution against other dinosaurs and the rest of the Titans--and both Ian and Fabian could comfortably lay down and get some rest. After a moment more of peering around in the dark, Fabian spotted a first-aid kit that would likely let him re-bandage Ian’s leg and maybe take some pain away.

Fabian ducked back out, whistling for the Titans to gather around him so he would not have to continue getting soaked. Ian seemed to be even less lucid at the moment, nearly slipping off Eos’s back as she trotted to Fabian’s side. Fabian darted out as Eos jolted to a stop, catching Ian as he clumsily slid off the raptor and supporting him by the shoulder once again.

“Come on,” Fabian said, breathing heavily as he struggled to carry Ian inside, “Almost there. Hopefully there’s some morphine in the first aid, but at least its warm, dry, and relatively safe.”

“I’ll trust your judgement on that,” Ian muttered, stumbling into the door. Fabian helped him onto one of the hay bales, carefully arranging his injured leg to allow him to rebandage it.

Once satisfied that Ian was as comfortable as he could be, Fabian retrieved the first aid kit and kneeled beside Ian. He fiddled around with the supplies for a moment before retrieving a bottle of pain pills, which would have to suffice for the time being.

“No morphine, unfortunately,” Fabian said, glancing to the door as Prometheus cautiously entered, “Take a few of these for now; I’ll fix up your leg.”

“Yep, okay,” Ian groaned, struggling for a moment to open the bottle before taking a few. He grunted a little as Fabian re-wrapped his leg, then leaned back and rested his head on the hay. Fabian frowned a little, rummaged around in some of the boxes, then pulled out a few towels and wrapping Ian up best he could.

Ian’s eyes flickered open briefly as Fabian laid down next to him, less than an arm’s length away. Fabian was just as exhausted as Ian--his own eyes were beginning to droop--but he did not dare to fall asleep in the middle of such a crisis. His legs burned from the walking, and he was shivering from the rain, but at the very least they were both safe.

“Fabian,” Ian croaked, turning his head to peer at the raptor trainer.

“Hm?” Fabian tilted his head slightly to look at Ian, pulling one leg up as he propped himself up on his elbows.

“Thanks.”

There was a beat of silence, then- “For what?”

“Saving me, among other things,” Ian replied, his cocky smirk making a reappearance finally. Fabian found it rather distracting, like a diamond among rocks in a river.

“I would say any time, but we are never,  _ ever _ , doing this again.”

“That’s one thing we can agree on,” Ian grinned, turning back to stare at the ceiling, “But-but, I don’t think that Chaos would allow us to say never.”

“You and your chaos is going to get us killed.”

“My chaos is the thing that predicted this,” Ian countered, shifting slightly closer to Fabian.

“Yeah yeah,” Fabian laughed, leaning back to close his eyes, “Listen to the scientist, it’s a wise decision. I’ve told John that, but he doesn’t even listen to me. He’s like a kid in a candy shop with unlimited allowance.”

Ian laughed again, throwing one towel to Fabian as he noticed the shivers that wracked his body. The conversation lapsed into comfortable silence, though a layer of fear and tension still remained. Fabian found himself drifting into an unwilling sleep for the remainder of the night, though the comforting weight of Prometheus soon settled at his side and soothed his worries.

Fabian was not sure they would make it out alive, but for the time being, they were safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There we go! Only a few more chapters to go, likely. I'd love to hear some feedback on this!


	5. A Battle of Genetics

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Getting towards the end of this fic! Only about 2 chapters left, I hope to finish this before I start on one of my other ideas. Enjoy the coming chapter!

_ Fabian ran through the forest, his feet feeling far too heavy and his breaths far too shallow. The wind whipped at his face, tugging his hair back while sharp branches clawed at his skin, red marks welling beneath their wooden nails. He could not see what he was fleeing from, nor remember the face of this unseen predator, but some instinct in his mind drove panic through his heart and forced his feet to run. Oddly enough, though he registered the sounds of something large crashing through the forest behind him and what he thought were screams of pain, they seemed… muted. It was as if the noise was above him while he was drowning underwater. Suddenly, he  _ was  _ underwater, his nose and throat flooding with water as he tried to claw his way to the surface, his lungs screaming for breath. A scream tore through him, but he only inhaled water--no, it was blood. He was swimming in blood now--his--as the claws in his lungs turned to claws on his torso. Dinosaurs filled the blood-water around him, their teeth tearing into his flesh, his screams of pain muffled by their noise of feast. A large shadow loomed over him, one that could only belong to the T-Rex, and he heard a massive roar as it leered down at him, leaning down with maw open wide- _

Fabian jerked awake, accidently knocking Ian’s head from it’s resting place on his shoulder and stirring the annoyed form of Prometheus from his guard post next to him. The towel that had served has a blanket lay at his feet, kicked off in his nightmare-induced panic. While Fabian gulped in air and tried to slow his beating heart, he noticed a few things. One, the storm that had hit last night had finally ceased, though his clothes were still soaked with sweat from his nightmare. Two, Ian was fully awake now and looking at him with great concern, albeit clearly laced with what Fabian could only imagine was a throbbing pain in his leg.

Finally managing to calm his features, Fabian took a final deep breath and ran a hand through his long hair, the tangles catching his fingers. “I’m fine Ian,” Fabian tried to sooth the worried Chaotician, though his voice was breathy and held a trace of fear, “Just a nightmare. Frankly, I’m surprised we got any sleep at all. Still, we should move, see if we can get to the bunker.”

Fabian stood up, keenly aware of the unusually silent stare from Ian as he shoved a selection of medical supplies into a bag. Though he would typically be quite content to be getting such attention from an attractive and successful man, Fabian was still shaken from his night and on edge from the general situation. The silence was more uncomfortable than anything else.

“Right, okay,” Ian said slowly at first, clearly not believing him, “Let’s-let’s get moving. Bunkers are always a good place, they tend to be monumentally safer than wandering around a island full of human-eating dinosaurs.”

“Unless the velociraptors are out,” Fabian added, “We can only hope power will be restored quickly, and that the other raptors are still contained.”

Ian had no response to this, though perhaps it was because Prometheus was now trying to herd the doctor to his feet and Ian was lost to the clutches of pain. Fabian tossed his bag of meager supplies to Prometheus, who neglected to catch it and instead let it fall on his crest comically. With a slight smile, Fabian dragged Ian’s one arm over his shoulder and supported his weight best he could, trying to act as a crutch for him. They limped out into the world once again, the other four raptors emerging from their shelter in the bushes. With a cursory glance in either direction, Fabian once again helped Ian clamber onto Eos’ back before taking his bag from Prometheus and leading the way in silence. 

The raptors seemed unusually on edge; the trilling and squawks that had sounded from the five before had now fallen silent, being replaced by furtive glances around themselves and near constant sniffing of the air. Even Ian, who would typically have at least something witty to point out, had lapsed his jokes for the time being, staring nervously out at the forest. Fabian couldn’t help but feel like the piglet he released for the Titan’s: trapped and watched, just waiting for slaughter. It was not a feeling he was accustomed to, having worked as the metaphorical alpha of many predatory animals before, and now dinosaurs as well.

The odd group walked in this tense silence for about two hours, pausing only briefly to drink and once to eat a meager breakfast and rewrap Ian’s now clearly infected wound. Few words passed between Ian and Fabian, and those that did were mostly by the latter, being apologies for hurting Ian. The raptors hardly made a noise, aside from the occasional growl, but their intense stares did not cease. 

It was still late in the night--perhaps midnight or 1 A.M.--when the group reached what Fabian declared to be the panic bunker. It was a sturdy looking building, built with thick concrete walls and iron rod windows, the door triple locked and made of heavy metal. The Visitor's Center stood off to it’s right, intimidatingly large and shadowing the building. Fabian motioned for the raptors to stop some feet back, helping haul Ian off of Eos.

“Stay here, Promo,” Fabian grunted, leaning Ian on himself once again, “Not in the mood to deal with a shot raptor and an angry beta.”

“Oh I don’t know, the entire island is trying to kill us right now, what’s one more?” Ian quipped, apparently lightened by the prospect of safety as they limped towards the door.

“I think Rhea counts for more than one, in fierocity if not in size,” Fabian replied with a vague smirk, “Now shut up, you are far heavier than you think and I am not a dinosaur.”

“I feel as if I should be offended!”

Fabian ignored the mocking tone from Ian and knocked on the door, hoping he was correct in his assumptions of Ellie and John’s location. The trivial thought of having lost his keys in the earlier panic drifted through his mind, though was blown out as the door opened to reveal the cautious and hardened face of Muldoon. Fabian offered a sheepish grin, knowing that showing up with a clearly injured doctor and bloody clothes was not the ideal situation when it came to his coworker.

“Fabian,” Muldoon sighed, opening the door fully and motioning the two of them inside, “What the hell happened to you two? What about Dr. Grant? And why the hell are the Titan’s out?”

“Slow down, Muldoon,” Fabian said as he lowered Ian carefully to the floor helping to settle his injured leg on the ground, “I’ll explain what I can, but we should let the Titan’s in. They protected us, they are on our side.”

Before Muldoon, John, or Ellie could make a sound of protest, Prometheus trotted inside, an uprooted plant clamped in his jaws. Asteria, Eos, and Atlas came next, with Rhea drawing up the rear, ever cautious in her entrance. Muldoon instantly darted away to grab his dart gun, Ellie ducking behind him as John watched wide-eyed from the slight platform in the bunker. With a hardened gaze, Muldoon raised his gun to point at Prometheus, who was looking curiously around the room.

“Wait! Muldoon, calm down,” Fabian said, darting between the two, “I swear to you, they aren’t a danger to us. Ian and I were asleep all night with Prometheus next to us, and we are still whole! Well, Ian’s hurt but not because of the Titans…” Fabian trailed off, biting his tongue as Muldoon glanced between Prometheus and him, “Come on, at least let me explain first.”

The silence seemed to drag on between the two coworkers as the room waited with baited breath, Ian propping himself up on his elbows to watch the intense staring match. Finally, Muldoon lowered his weapon, though the tenseness in his shoulders spoke of his true feelings.

“Fine, I guess I owe you at least that much,” Muldoon relented, allowing Fabian to finally relax while Ellie and John let out relieved breaths. Fabian motioned for the pack to settle at the edge of the room, giving the humans the majority of the space. He settled just below the platform Ian lay on, watching as Ellie observed the wound and bandages on Ian’s leg.

“We were trying to return from the outing in the field by the electric cars, but when the storm hit the power was cut. For a while we were just stuck inside the cars, no big deal, but then the Rex came. Her fence was also cut from power, and she got out to hunt us down. The kids were moving and making too much noise and she went after them--” Fabian saw John suck in a breath, but Fabian held up his hand to silence the concerned grandfather, “--But she didn’t get them. Alan grabbed a flare and tried to distract the rex, then Ian tried to draw it away and I had to go after his sorry ass. Last I knew of Alan and the kids is that they went over the edge of the enclosure in a car. We think they survived, but we had to haul ass to get out of there safely. I tended to Ian’s wound best I could then we moved on, but a dilo got to us first.”

“Dilophosaurus is out? Damn,” Muldoon seemed perturbed by this, or perhaps the raptors--Fabian couldn’t tell.

“One is, or was to be more precise. It attacked, but these five,” Fabian motioned to the Titan’s, trying to ignore the fact that Prometheus was attempting to play stack the boxes on top of a very patient Asteria, “Saved the day. Fought off the dilo, killed it, then stuck around at my word. They’ve been following my orders all day--er, night--and have kept us safe while we rested. I swear to you, they are not a danger to us, our danger’s lie outside that door.”

Muldoon glanced at the raptors, his eyes settling on Rhea as she glared right back at him, then turned to Ellie and John. A mutual understanding seemed to pass between the trio, and Muldoon finally sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Damn you Fabian,” He muttered, setting his gun back down, “They can stay, but if we die by them I will absolutely hunt you down in the afterlife.”

“I have no doubt,” Fabian replied, finally rescuing Asteria from Prometheus’ terrible box stacking. Finally exhausted with the days events, Fabian sat down by Ian, content to lounge on the ground for a few hours before they got back to work on escaping. There was little the group could do this late at night, when the dinosaurs would roam the compound unseen in the darkness.

Ellie fetched some morphine for Ian from the full first-aid stock in the bunker, knocking the doctor out within ten minutes and relieving the poor man from pain. Fabian watched the discussion between Ellie, John, and Muldoon without his own input, though he still tried to glean some understanding from the snippets he heard.

Apparently, Nedry had input a hardwired virus into the system that shut down the majority of the security measures, including dinosaur fences. The raptors and Titan’s cages had not been shut down, but Arnold had done a hard shut off on the power which had allowed his pack and --unfortunately--the other raptors to escape. Ellie paced worriedly around the room, clearly upset at how long it was taking Arnold to restore the power. Fabian knew the power station was not far from here, and by the sound of things he had been gone far longer than necessary; the worst had likely occurred.

“I’ll have to go after him,” Ellie said, turning to stare at John and Muldoon steadily, “He’s been gone far too long. I can find him and restart the power quick enough.”

“Now now, my dear,” John said, clearly worried about her safety, “Let’s think this through--”

“We’ve done enough thinking! All we’ve been doing is thinking! Mr. Arnold could be out there, injured, and all we’ve been doing is sitting around talking about what we could do! Now listen, just because I’m a girl doesn’t mean I can’t do it.”

“That’s not what I--” John tried to backpedal, leaning against his cane, but Fabian quickly interrupted.

“John, you’re digging yourself into a deeper hole like this,” Fabian glanced over at Ian as he spoke, noticing that he was awake once again, though with glazed over eyes. “Ellie is capable, she can handle herself. However, I do think no one should leave alone at the moment, Muldoon can go with her. You, Ian and I can guide her by the walkie-talkies.”

John digested this, finally nodding, “Alright, I think you’re right. Shall we get the map and radios? Ellie and Muldoon can leave in the morning when it’s light.”

Fabian nodded, accepting Muldoon’s assitance in dragging Ian to his feet and onto the center table where he could put his foot up and help with the map. It didn’t take long to locate the map and radios, and sooner than expected, Ellie and Muldoon were off, armed with Muldoon’s gun and sharp eyes. The bunker was significantly less crowded with two of the people gone, but the three remaining men were not comforted by this. There was a tense silence as they waited for the signal that Ellie had made it to the electricity shack.

“Perhaps I should go after them, as back up,” Fabian finally said, pacing around the room, “I’ve got the Titan’s, they are capable of fighting the raptors.”

“Woah, slow down Fabian,” Ian piped up, looking up from the map he was staring at intently, “You, uh, can’t-can’t go running off right now, leaving a cripple and an old man alone. I’m sure Ellie and Muldoon will be fine.”

“Arnold wasn’t fine, and besides, you’re in the bunker. It’s safe here.”

“I am on the doctor’s side with this one Fabian,” John replied, limping forward, “It’s too dangerous out there, better to stay safe. We can trust Muldoon and Ellie--”

“But we can’t trust the raptors,” Fabian interjected, frowning intently, “I’m going after them. I’ll take the raptors, lock the door once I’m out.”

Fabian ignored the calls for him to stay back, instead pushing past the large form of Eos and out the door, his bag slung over his shoulder and the pack following him closely. The concerns of Ian and John fell silent as the door closed, and Fabian was once again surrounded by the quiet noises of his pack and his own thoughts--he wasn’t sure which was more terrifying. The early dawn light was giving way to the brighter rays of morning sun, casting a faintly warm glow onto the water-logged ground and gleaming off of the puddles. With a final glance at the raptors behind him, Fabian whistled softly and started forward, every muscle in his body tensed for battle.

He walked in swift silence for five excruciatingly long minutes, pausing at corners to peer cautiously around for any signs of attack. Finally, Fabian caught sight of the stretch of forest that blocked their path to the electricity shed, which was by far the most dangerous place. An enemy unseen was still an enemy, and arguably the most dangerous of any. The raptor trainer paused, glancing to his right as Prometheus peered over his shoulder, then gazed into the thick forest cautiously. Fabian was regretting his decision more and more as time went on, but he did not dare turn back now; he was still worried for Ellie and Muldoon, and Ian’s ability to keep his leg was hanging in the balance as well.

When a pained scream ripped through the bird songs, Fabian abandoned his fears and darted forward, whistling for the pack to follow him. He leapt over a fallen tree, as he crashed through the brush, aware that he was making quite a lot of noise, though the Titan’s were as well. Ducking under a low hanging branch, Fabian skidded to a stop to face a horrifying sight.

Muldoon was screaming, writhing on the ground with a large raptor on top of him, ripping into his flesh with bloody jaws. Prometheus flashed past Fabian, a roar already crawling out of his lungs as he lunged at the raptor, Rhea half a heartbeat behind him. Fabian automatically jerked back in primal fear instincts as the Titans leaped at the raptor, jaws gnashing and and teeth flashing. Moments later, the second raptor in the pack lunged into the clearing to assist her packmate, only to get caught in the jaws of Eos while Atlas spun his tail into her side. 

Putting aside his beating heart while the raptors, Fabian forced his frozen legs to move and darted into the fray, ducking beneath the tangle of limbs. He winced as a talon caught painfully in his shoulder, ripping through his jacket, but he snatched at the bloody clothing of Muldoon and heaved backwards, pulling Muldoon with him. 

The hunter was hardly breathing, his blood soaked clothes telling a tale of death. Panic flared through Fabian as he heaved Muldoon’s body backwards, edging away from the bloody and fierce fight between dinosaurs. He pulled Muldoon back to the edge of the clearing, trying futilly to staunch the bleeding.

“Muldoon, Muldoon!” Fabian pulled the limp body into his lap, glancing fearfully up as the Titan’s chased the first of the two raptors away, scratches and bites littering all their hides, “Come on Muldoon, you can’t go out like this. You’re a damn hunter! Come on!” The silence from the corpse in his arms was more terrifying than the roars from the battle raging in the clearing. Fabian felt his heart stop as he realized how hopeless it was, watching Muldoon lay dead in his arms. With a soft noise, Fabian glanced up in time to see Rhea snap at the retreating form of the other raptor, effectively ensuring their safety, then turned his gaze back to Muldoon. Quiet tears dripped down Fabian’s face as he gazed at the unmoving body of his coworker and friend.

This was not the way he wanted to die, and no way in hell was he going to lose more friends to this damn park. He was going to make it out of here alive, with Ian, Ellie, Alan, John, and the kids. He fully intended to do that, but step one was making it out of this forest alive. He glanced up at the dinosaurs, their intelligent eyes watching him closely. With a deep breath, Fabian wiped his eyes and gently set Muldoon’s body on the ground, whispering a soft apology. He rose to his feet shakily, stumbling away into the forest with red-rimmed eyes, whistling for the pack to follow him.

He ducked under and around the underbrush, quickening his pace as he recovered his wits. As Fabian reached the edge of the forest, he could see the wooden form of the electric shack. It’s door was open, clearly left by Ellie when she darted in. At least she had made it inside, though Fabian could only hope it was with all her limbs. 

Fabian slowed as he approached the shed, lifting a hand to stop the Titan’s just short of the entrance. “Prometheus, Rhea, Atlas, with me. Eos, Asteria, guard,” Fabian punctuated his instructions with hand gestures and pointing, the raptors bobbing their heads to track his motions. He faintly found himself impressed with how well his raptors could take and understand his orders, but he pushed that thought out of his mind and crept into the shed.

It was dark in the shed, as even power here had been shut off, and the stairs were slick with rainwater run-off. Fabian carefully crept down the stairs, glad his work-books had good tread as he heard the three raptors behind him slip on the slick concrete. With a quick glance over his shoulder to check on the Titans, Fabian led the way through the dim hallway, following the network of pipes above his head. At the end was a T-junction, and Fabian mentally cursed himself for bringing neither a map nor a radio to help him find his way. 

“Well, Promo, Rhea, Atlas,” Fabian murmured quietly, peering down both hallways, “We have a 50-50 chance of going the right way. Any opinions?” Fabian quirked his eyebrow as Prometheus nudged Atlas gently, who proceeded to bang loudly into the pipes on his left. Rhea simply snarled in his general direction, fidgeting uncomfortably. With a shrug, Fabian turned to his right and started the way down the long, equally as dark hallway.

When a scream tore through the air, Fabian broke into a panicked run once again, the Titans right behind him. He skidded to a halt as Ellie came barreling out of the power area, running straight into his chest with fear in her eyes.

“Ellie! Ellie, what’s wrong?” Fabian grabbed her shoulders, steadying them both as Ellie half sobbed and pointed frantically. Just beyond the wire fence that marked off the electrical area was a raptor, glaring silently at them. When Fabian looked in her primal eyes, she screamed violently and clawed at the gate; Ellie tensed under Fabian’s hands and he pulled her back behind him. 

The hall itself was far too small for the Titan’s to get through with them in the way, so Fabian grabbed the first vaguely weapon-shaped object--a crowbar--and stood his ground, hearing Rhea, Prometheus, and Atlas growl angrily at the raptor beyond. Fabian pushed Ellie backwards, never taking his eyes off the raptor as she growled and snatched at the gate, the metal bending and breaking under her weight. With a final, horrifyingly strong push, the gate bent to the raptors will and crashed to the ground, a piece of jumbled wire at this point.

Ellie screamed and tried to dart back through the Titans, though they were so tightly packed in to snarl and hiss at the raptor she couldn’t get through. Fabian yelled and swung wildly as the raptor lunged at them, landing a heavy blow on the side of her head, strong enough to momentarily stun her. Dropping the crowbar, Fabian grabbed Ellie’s hand and pulled her through the crowded hallway, as Prometheus slid past him, crashing headfirst into the other raptor. He pulled the both of them forward frantically as the raptors battled again. 

The pair rounded the corner and surged up the stairs, Fabian whistling sharply as he burst through the door; Eos and Asteria hissed and leaping back in shock. Ellie stumbled as they emerged, blinking and shading her eyes in the bright morning light. Fabian whirled around, breathing heavily, and waited with a wide eyes to see which prehistoric creature would emerge. He nearly flinched when the blue and grey face of Prometheus emerged, drops of blood adorning his scales. Atlas followed close behind him, and Rhea stalked out just after, a brooding and fierce look on her face.

Stumbling forward to gently pat the sides of Prometheus’s face, Fabian let out a sigh of relief and turned to look at Ellie, who was sitting on the ground, her blood hair a wreck. 

“You alright?” Fabian asked, letting Prometheus nudge his chest rather hard, “We thought you may have been caught.”

“I almost was,” Ellie replied shakily, glancing up, “Muldoon… did he…”

Fabian felt his heart catch in his throat, but he shook his head nonetheless, “I was too late. I’m sorry.”

“Oh… what a shame, he was more than a good man.” Ellie looked down at her hands, then finally pushed herself to her feet, running a hand through her short messy hair, “Maybe we should get going?”

“Of course,” Fabian gently pushed Prometheus away, glancing at Rhea to ensure her viciousness had settled down, “Let’s move, it’s too open out here.”

The pair had hardly gone a few yards when a familiar figure appeared from inside the woods, a gun gripped in his hands. Alan Grant stood at the top of the small hill, looking around carefully with his tan cowboy hat perched securely on his head.

“Alan!” Ellie screamed, running forward to leap into his arms in a bear-hug. Fabian quickened his pace, though left the two to their own devices for their return, instead focusing on calming his raptors from their frequent battles.

“It’s good to see the both of you,” Alan said a minute later, his arm still securely around Ellie’s shoulder, “I thought I would never see any of you agai--why the  _ hell _ are those things out here?”

Fabian winced at the malice in his voice, and glanced back at the Titan’s before responding: “They escaped with the other raptors, they are on our side. Helped save Ian and me from a dilo, and fought of the raptors hunting ellie just now… Alan I swear, they aren’t bad.” Fabian raised his hands in surrender to punctuate his point, Prometheus chirping softly as he watched the tensions. 

Alan squinted his eyes, taking in Ellie’s appearance and Fabian’s stance: protectively in front of the raptors. Finally, Alan sighed and shook his head, “I can’t say I believe you, but I wouldn’t be able to protest if I wanted to. Let’s just get moving, where’s Ian?”

“Back at the bunker with John,” Fabian replied, glancing around uncomfortably, “Where we should be. The children?”

“Eating in the dining room, they’re both safe,” Alan replied, allowing Fabian to breathe a sigh of relief, “Let’s go, this isn’t safe.”

Fabian couldn’t agree more as the trio turned back to the forest, Fabian motioning for his raptors to follow him. He couldn’t help the tiny smile twitching on his face as he glanced over at Prometheus, who was currently enjoying the largest stick he could possibly find.    
‘ _ Like a damn Golden Retriever _ ,’ Fabian thought with a smile, ‘ _ Now that would be an interesting pet. Maybe that’s where he goes when this is all over. If this is all over.’ _ He could only hope to get out of this alive.


	6. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied, there is one more chapter after this. How soon it comes out really depends on how you guys react, I've got school starting up again soon so if you guys leave some comments I'll try my best to get it out sooner rather than later!

By the time Ellie, Alan, and Fabian returned to the visitors center the morning had come into full swing, bringing with it a sense of hope. Perhaps they would get out of here alive. Perhaps they would make it through this mess of a “park”. Fabian wouldn’t admit it at this moment, but he was desperately missing the normality a life not training large and dangerous creatures.

They ducked into the visitor’s center and Alan led Ellie to the dining room, sending pointed look at Fabian and his raptors before opening the door. Fabian stayed back--knowing his raptors would be an unwelcome addition to this reunion--but smiled softly when he heard the gentle, innocent voices of Tim and Lex as they greeted Ellie with many hugs no doubt.

When Ellie and Alan reappeared, Fabian was watching the Titan’s closely, a frown on his face. Prometheus seemed agitated, never standing still and lightly nudging his pack closer together while Rhea growled at him. Atlas was nervously pacing in front of the typically unflappable Eos, who was now perked up like a dog on point. Something was around, Fabian was positive about it, but he had no idea what, where, or how the creature got in.

“We should go get some weapons,” Alan said, breaking Fabian out of his thoughts, “Assuming John has called a helicopter by now, we are going to need to get to the chopper pad.”

“Which means fighting through whatever is out and about,” Fabian said with a sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose, “And somehow getting an injured man out as well. Why don’t you grab some guns from the bunker? Ellie can show you the way and I’ll stick around here with the kids, make sure nothing happens.”

Alan nodded, letting Ellie take the lead as they ducked out of the room, once again leaving Fabian alone with his thoughts. It had been a long day and even longer night, and Fabian was at his wits end for this battle against nature. They had already lost at least two people--Arnold and Muldoon--and it had been touch and go with Ian for quite a while but he still was not out of the woods. Between John’s insistence that it was a excellent idea to bring outsiders to an unfinished park and the unfortunate timing of the tropical storm, Fabian was sure blame fell to either John or Fate. He would bet his right arm that Ian would spout some nonsense about Chaos Theory and how it was really Life’s fault while also blaming John.

The thought forced a faint smile on his face, which quickly soured as he remembered Ian’s wounded leg, which turned his mind to the one thing he was trying to ignore. Pained screams echoed through his head, the image of a bloodied Muldoon lying dead in his arms was burned into his mind and sent a piercing stab through his heart. He had always considered the hardened hunter to be a friend of his--his only one on this island--and now he was quite dead, his blood seeping into the ground where the velociraptor had torn into him. Despite knowing he was not at fault logically, Fabian could not shake the feeling of guilt--of being unable to do something--and it was killing him. He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, hoping to block out the world for just a moment, hoping that the memories of screaming would fade until he could better handle them.

A scream tore through his thoughts suddenly, snapping five raptor heads towards the noise with various growls and hisses. Fabian shot to his feet, panic racing through him as he grabbed the first weapon-like thing he could find--a metal pipe Prometheus had carried in--and darted through to the dining room, the five Titan’s following close behind. He glanced around the room, searching for the light haired kids but finding no trace of them aside from a table laden with food. The scream sounded again, high pitched and heart stopping from the kitchen, pulling Fabian towards the noise.

Fabian flung open the swinging kitchen doors, spying the two remaining raptors throwing themselves towards a cabinet where the screaming was coming from. To his right was the small form of Tim, curled under a counter and quaking in fear. Licking his lips quickly, Fabian whistled sharply and leaped out of the way as Atlas surged forward Asteria close on his heels. The duo lunged for the raptor gunning for Lex, sharp teeth gnashing with primal ferocity. Rhea and Prometheus entered next, darting around the metal counters to stalk the second raptor. Eos, unable to fit in the kitchen to be of use, trilled worriedly just outside.

“Tim, Lex, come here! Quickly,” Fabian seized Tim’s small arm, wrenching him outside and setting him next to Eos while Lex darted around him, “Listen to me, you need to get out of here. Take Eos, don’t let her out of your sight. Go to the control room, it’s not that far and has reinforced doors; Eos knows the way. Go!”

Fabian watched the children run fearfully away, Eos turning clumsily in the hall before leading the way with her long legs. He hoped dearly he had made the sensible decision to send them away, then turned around to face his current problem.

Asteria and Atlas were attacking the larger of the two raptors angrily. Atlas was swinging his tail wildly and hitting the metal cabinets more than the enemy, but Asteria was having more luck with a frontal attack of teeth. Fabian recognized their enemy as the Alpha, her intelligent eyes glaring holes in Asteria as she bit her neck, eliciting a pained screech from the smaller raptor. They seemed to be holding their own at the least, and Fabian had more concerns of losing control of Rhea at this moment.

Rhea and Prometheus were in a corner of the room, snarling and snapping at a raptor they had backed against the wall. They both had various minor scratches and bites, but neither seemed to be entirely too hurt to fight, rather seeming to work together almost flawlessly. Fabian shifted his grip on the pipe and cautiously approached this battle, whistling lowly to capture the attention of the two Titans.

“Let’s get ‘em guys, Rhea!” Fabian smiled slightly as Rhea snapped and squawked at him, though her eyes never left her target, “To the left, keep her in the corner. Promo, push her back, back back!” Despite knowing neither raptor would see the hand motions, Fabian snapped and flicked his hand to reinforce his orders, watching as they were carried out.

The smaller form of Rhea fluffed up as her feathers ruffled--like a scared cat--as she snapped violently at the reptilian one, blocking her path from escape. Prometheus snarled and leaped forwards, slamming his small crest and horn into her side while snatching at her front legs with his jaws. The raptor struggled violently, trying to get a grip on Prometheus’ crest or neck only to be met with the furious attacks of Rhea, driving her farther back. The door to the freezer was only inches away, but closed tightly, and Fabian knew he would not get out of this battle without playing his part.

Taking a half second to steel his nerves, Fabian leaped forward and wrenched the lock open, throwing the door open with a yell. A single, short whistle and flick of the hand were all it took for Prometheus and Rhea to get the message, heaving and hauling the struggling raptor into the freezer before darting out. Fabian flung his weight against the door, hearing the sickening cracking of bones as the raptor made a last escape attempt and caught her paw in the door. With a mighty shove, Fabian closed the door all the way, locking it tight before whirling around to catch the tail end of the secondary battle.

The Alpha raptor, having seen Rhea and Prometheus free to attack her, had bodily thrown Atlas across the room and scampered off. Her tail was just disappearing out the door when Fabian turned around, Rhea and Prometheus snarling viciously as they stood between their injured pack member, Fabian and the door.

“Alright, settle down,” Fabian gasped, leaning against the counters as he tried to catch his breath, his legs shaking, “W-we need to get moving. Come on,” Fabian watched as Asteria and Prometheus helped Atlas to his feet, each one trilling worriedly while Rhea paced, a low growl sounding from her throat.

It struck him suddenly, just how intelligent the Titan’s were. It was both terrifying and magnificent, knowing that he could well be overthrown by these creatures he considered his friends. They worked together so effortlessly, hunting and fighting as a pack, understanding exactly what his instructions meant. He would never want to encounter them as enemies.

Putting the disturbing thought out of his mind, Fabian led the way out, quickly making his way to the control center. Eos was already standing outside and trilled happily when she caught sight of her pack, trotting up to greet them. With a quick glance inside to confirm the occupants--Lex, Tim, Ellie and Alan--Fabian turned to his raptors and whistled, holding his hand up to shift their attention to him, then snapped his fingers. The raptors scattered quickly, each going their own direction to hopefully not make such a large target.

“Glad to see you,” Alan grunted, opening the door as Fabian turned around, “Thought you might have gotten yourself killed.”

“I’m not that much of a fool,” Fabian said tiredly, slipping inside, “What’s the problem?”

“The phones won’t work until we turn that system back on,” Lex said from her position at a computer, “A helicopter won’t be able to come until we get them back up and running. I’ve just got to find that system and turn it back on, then we will be good.”

Fabian held his tongue at that comment, knowing that getting the phones working was only half of the problem. Escape still involved getting out of here in one piece. Instead of hovering over Lex’s shoulder like Ellie was, Fabian took up post next to Alan, peering worriedly out the reinforced glass windows.

“Far as I know there is only one raptor left--the Alpha,” Fabian muttered to Alan softly, hoping to not scare the children anymore than they had been, “We locked one in the freezer, another was killed in the electricity shack, but the third escaped.”  
  
“Let’s be glad we only have to deal with one then,” Alan replied as he glanced back to where Lex was busy typing away.   
  
They waited in bated breath as Lex worked, the silence was almost as terrifying as the screams had been. Alan nudged Fabian slightly, a frown on his face as he pointed to outside the window where Rhea, Asteria, and Atlas were retreating from their guard points, stalking something out of sight. Alan readied his gun--making Fabian wish he had brought one along as well--and focused his sight on the retreating raptors, shifting anxiously on his feet. Out of all the things Fabian was expecting, what happened next was not one of them.   
  
The door knob started to turn slightly, jiggling and getting dangerously close to releasing the latch. Eyes going wide, Fabian lunged at the door just as it began to open, slamming his shoulder into it and jamming his foot on the ground.   
  
“They know how to open doors! Locks are down,” Fabian shouted, trying to make himself heard over the angrily screeching of the raptor struggling against his weight. Alan briefly held his gun at the crack in the door, then dropped in and shoved his own weight against the door instead, obviously not confident in his shooting capabilities.   
  
Ellie looked up worriedly, grabbing the gun from the floor and leveling it at the raptor through the window. The powerful creature stopped for a moment, standing back with large, intelligent eyes, then lunged at the door to throw all of her weight at it. The thump was loud and terrifying in Fabian’s ear, a terrified scream from the children following quickly. Ellie panicked, shooting at the raptor through the window with a loud bang. Fabian flinched away, swearing his heart stopped for a moment as the raptor stopped for another moment, then returned to her relentless assault on the door.   
  
“Keep working Lex,” Alan shouted over the racket, trying to hold his place on the door though his feet kept slipping on the tiled floor. Fabian struggled with him, desperately clawing at the door as if that would give him more purchase, only to find himself slipping farther and farther away.   
  
“Got it,” Lex’s scream of victory brought a fresh round of hope--and adrenaline--to Fabian, and with a final, massive push the three adults shoved the door closed, hearing the lock click and the raptor roar in frustration. They all slumped to the ground, breathing heavily.   
  
“The lock… is a pin pad. Even she won’t... be... able to open it,” Fabian panted, glancing up at Alan through sweat matted bangs, “Call John first, he will have access to a helicopter. We need to figure a way out of here.”   
  
“Can’t you call those meat eater dinosaurs?” Lex asked frantically, suddenly realizing their victory was not so great after all, “Like you did in the kitchen?”   
  
  
“In the kitchen they were with me already, I don’t know where they are now,” Fabian pushed himself to his feet and peered cautiously out the window as Alan dialed John’s number, “Whatever distracted them brought them a long way away from here. I couldn’t call them unless I opened the door, and I have no intention of opening this damn door ever again.”   
  
“We still need to get out,” Alan replied, setting the phone down after a quick conversation with John, “We meet John and Ian at the entrance to the visitors center. But we can’t get out of-”   
  
Fabian and Ellie leaped away from the door as a loud bang cut Alan off. The raptor had abandoned attempted to break down the door and was now trying to claw her way through the glass, fully intending to get to her elusive prey. The children screamed loudly, Ellie darting back to them and looking around desperately. Alan grabbed his gun around, trying to figure a way out of here with all of them intact.   
  
“The ceiling! Quickly,” Fabian gasped, climbing onto a desk and shoving one of the removable panels off. He reached down and lifted Tim up, hoisting him into the ceiling, quickly followed by Lex. Ellie climbed up next to him, and he boosted her into the ceiling as well. “Alan, let’s go! Get over here!”   
  
Alan looked like he might argue about the order, but common sense took over and he handed the gun off to Fabian, who then boosted him into the ceiling. It took several moments for the odd procession to crawl through enough to give Fabian room to climb in, and Fabian felt panic grip him as he jumped up to heave himself in, the tell-tale sound of glass breaking as he did so. He pulled his legs up and in just as the raptor appeared to snatch at them, then hurriedly crawled towards the group. Screams of terror echoed around the small space as they tried to quickly make their way through, the raptor below them leaping up to snatch at the ceiling.   
  
They crawled for what seemed like both an eternity and a heartbeat, eventually reaching what Alan deemed as a dismount point. He removed the panel and let the others crowd around, nodding to the open room below, large dinosaur skeletons hanging from the ceiling.   
  
“Well, we found where we need to be,” Fabian muttered to himself, frowning, “But how the hell are we supposed to get down?”   
  
Alan glanced up at him, a weary look to his eyes that Fabian knew was mirrored in his own, then looked down at the puzzle. “Uh, here, kids. Grab onto me, then I’ll lower you down--I got you don’t worry--now grab the--no the rope. Grab the rope, then slide down it. There we go.”   
  
Fabian watched as the children dropped down onto the first skeleton, then grabbed one of Ellie’s hands and helped lower her down. Alan nodded to Fabian to go next, so he took a breath and slid his legs out of the ceiling, swinging himself out carefully and landing on the skeleton below, Alan only moments behind him. Fabian glanced down and picked out his path, sliding down the fake bones to drop onto the next skeleton, Ellie following behind him.   
  
Movement below caught his eye and Fabian paused in his track, trying to crane his neck to see what was going on. The warm colored scales of Eos finally made themselves apparent, as she approached where the children were hanging, a soft noise coming from her throat.   
  
“Lex, Tim, you see Eos?” Fabian looked over at the kids, getting two nods of affirmation, “Drop down to her, she will catch you I swear. I’ve done this before; she’s very good at catching things.” Fabian didn’t mention it was a bucket in a tree and not a child on some bones, but he was running out of choices here.   
  
He watched as the children carefully dropped onto Eos, then returns to his own descent as Ellie and Alan followed him. Then all landed relatively intact on the floor, the rest of the Titan’s in a straggling group nearby. Fabian quickly ran over to Eos and helped the children down from her, turning to run out the entrance only to be faced with the one thing he had hoped not to see: the Alpha. She stood steady between them and the door, a growl in her throat as she had finally cornered her prey, though the Titan’s snarled back at her just as fiercely. Fabian clutched the children closer to him and looked around desperately for some escape, feeling his heart fall to his stomach.   
  
They had gotten so close, so very close. He could almost taste the freedom from this disaster, but it was now replaced by the bile of hopelessness.   
  
The alpha snarled, starting to run towards them as the Titan’s shifted into defensive positions, only to be snatched up in much larger jaws. The bloody teeth of the T-Rex glinted in the light, the sudden appearance of the beast startling Fabian, Ellie, and Alan backwards. With a quick glance at the Titan’s, Fabian whistled a single, short whistle that sent the raptors forward, teeth bared and anger in their eyes. The five of them leapt at the rex, snatching at her scaled skin as they challenged her.   
  
Tearing his eyes away from the pack-- _his_ pack--fighting what would likely be suicide, Fabian grabbed the children and ran, ducking along the edge and out of the visitors center with Ellie and Alan right behind him. John came screeching up, Ian laid up in the back of a jeep as they piled in, Fabian trying to balance on the edge of a seat and not crush Ian’s injured leg.   
  
“John, after much thought I’ve decided not to endorse your park,” Alan said, a hint of venom in his voice as John gunned the engine and sped away with all of them in the car.   
  
“I have too,” John replied, a pained look on his face. The ride to the helicopter pad was silent, all of them hoping they had truly escaped now.   
  
They pulled up to the chopper, leaping out of the jeep and running--or hobbling in Ian’s case--to the saving grace and climbing in just as quick as they could manage. John stood back, gazing at his park in ruins with the face of a man who had lost everything, but Fabian did not try to comfort him, instead helping Ian into the chopper. After several long heartbeats, John limped over to the chopper and climbed in aswell, letting them all take off.   
  
Fabian peered out the window for several long moments, hoping irrationally to see the Titan’s running free among the leafy underbrush. They had attacked the T-Rex for him, defended his and Ian’s lives, and yet here he was, repaying them in abandonment. It broke his heart to see them gone, probably dying by the teeth of the Rex. He had always cared so deeply for his animals, why were the Titan’s any different?   
  
“Hey, Fabian” Ian suddenly spoke up, though with an admittedly pained tone, “Look over there.”   
  
Fabian followed where Ian was pointing, spying the distinctive shape of Eos on a road. Moments later, four familiar shapes joined here, the one that belonged to Prometheus strangely staggering as he carried what Fabian could assume was a rather large stick. A tiny smile graced Fabian’s face at the sight, but he simply nodded his thanks to Ian. They must have escaped or won the battle, he wouldn’t put it past them.   
  
The ride was silent as they flew towards the sunset, Ian clutching painfully at his leg while Alan settled in the corner with the children pulled close to him. Ellie sat across from Alan, next to Fabian (who sat next to Ian of course) and smiled gently at Alan, as if triumphantly declaring him a family man. An air of guilt hung around John, though Fabian simply ignored the man all together and rather contented himself with becoming a pillow for the quickly fading Ian.   
  
They had all made it out, or most of them had. Fabian knew he should be feeling relief, happiness, anything really, but he was simply too tired. He just wanted to sleep, to forget what happened and pretend it was all a dream or really bad nightmare. As he pulled his mess of hair back into a ponytail before letting Ian lay his head on his shoulder properly, Fabian silently reflected that he would never do such a damn foolish thing like this again. It wasn’t just his physical health that was screwed to high hell now, he knew this would never leave him and would take ages to heal. The scars he would gain would never go away.   
  
But for now, he pushed those thoughts away and did the one thing he could do. Sleep.


	7. Chaos Spiral

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long with posting this! I had several large school projects all at once that I had to keep up on, as well as end of year testing. This is not the longest of chapters and only went through half my usual editing routine, but I thought you guys would like to read it sooner. Enjoy!

“Okay so maybe it wasn't the best of ideas to let Prometheus out,” Fabian stared intently at the piece of jerky in his hands as he lounged in the jeep while Muldoon leaned against the hood.

 

“Not the best? It was a bloody terrible idea,” Muldoon exclaimed loudly, quieting down when Fabian glared at him. “Jesus, Fabian, you could have gotten one of them killed!”

 

“Yeah, I know,” the raptor trainer sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Promo himself isn't dangerous, but I let my guard down on Rhea. I'm such a  _ fool _ , could have gotten any one of them  _ killed.” _

 

Muldoon sighed, handing Fabian a canteen of water to go with their impromptu lunch, “We live and work among beasts, we can't be expected to know their every move. Hammond takes some blame for this, as do we. For now, let's get this crew through the park without any deaths.”

 

Fabian nodded, tossing the canteen back and laying down on the uncomfortable seats once again. Muldoon glanced at him with a curious frown before straightening up and staring at the visitors center where the endorsement team and John were having their own lunch.

 

“Here's something, why aren't you in there? Could have had a proper lunch,” Muldoon gestured at the building vaguely.

 

“Eh,” Fabian fiddled with his bracelet, “Not in the mood to deal with the arguments. Plus, the foods not to my taste.”

 

“Fair enough,” Muldoon conceded, “I'll be off then.” The coworkers exchanged nods, the Muldoon left with quick, purposeful steps while Fabian continued to lay in the jeep. He knew that the endorsement team would emerge any minute now--John wanted to show them the tour--and he would once again need to play nice.

 

It was moments later that a set of cars pulled up and two young children tumbled out. The first was a small boy with sandy brown hair, clutching a book and chattering away to the driver. His sister was taller, dirty blonde hair falling just past her shoulders as she rolled her eyes at her brothers non stop talking. Fabian pushed himself up and out of the jeep, running a hand through his hair briefly before approaching.

 

“You might want to go inform John that his grandkids have arrived,” Fabian smiled politely at the driver, who nodded and left, “You must be Tim and Lex?”

 

“Yes, and who are you?” Lex took charge, watching Fabian with cautious curiosity.

 

“Fabian Riehl, dinosaur trainer and Titan Pack alpha.” Fabian offered his hand, “Your grandfather hired me for this park a while back.”

 

Lex took his hand and shook it politely, “Where  _ is _ our grandfather?”

 

“Inside, having lunch if I do believe,” Fabian motioned to the visitor center, “I sent the driver to fetch him and the endorsement team.”

 

“Is Dr. Grant in the endormat team?” Tim pipped up, bouncing on his feet as he clung to Fabian’s jacket in excitement.

 

Fabian smiled down at him, the young boy’s mispronunciation and endless energy reminding him of Celeste, “Yes; the team is Dr. Grant, Dr. Malcolm, Dr. Sattler, and Mr. Gennaro. You a fan?”

 

“Oh absolutely! He’s incredible, I’ve read all of his books,” Tim grinned, pulling out a book, “I have so many questions. Did you know-”

 

Fabian looked up as he heard the door opening, letting a sigh of relief escape him as he saw John and the endorsement team exit the building. The kids screamed in delight, running up the steps to hug their grandfather who laughed joyfully at their reaction. Fabian noted the confused and concerned looks on Ian, Dr. Grant, and Dr. Sattler’s faces--likely regarding having small children on an unfinished island full of dinosaurs. He was glad his concern was shared, though he couldn’t help but smile as Dr. Grant was bombarded by questions from young Tim, who was following him at the heel.

 

“Fabian,” John called cheerfully, “I was hoping you could accompany the good doctors on this tour, maybe take them to see your raptors again after it is finished.”

 

“Tour yes, no problem there, but Rhea was stilled riled up from strangers earlier. It would be better for everyone if we leave them alone for the day. Maybe another time,” Fabian tried his best to keep his words neutral, as he did need the job and funding for his conservation back home.

 

“Ah, well, perhaps another day, should the doctors care to come back. Now then, for the tour you will get in these cars--no no, no need for a driver. They follow the electric path along the park. In you go, children too.” Fabian grabbed his satchel from the jeep as John ushered the children down the steps before returning to the visitors center, no doubt to commentate from the control room.

 

Fabian watched with an amused smile as Dr. Grant first attempted to claim the first car for the adults, only to find his gremlin following him. With an annoyed frown, Dr. Grant slipped out the other side of the car and shut the door, then escaped to the second car where Dr. Sattler had already claimed the passenger's front seat. Fabian climbed into the back tossing his bag casually on the floor and returning Dr. Sattler’s friendly smile, thankful that she didn’t hold a grudge to him. Dr. Grant climbed into the front seat, Ian settling behind him with a cocky smirk, his sunglasses back in place.

 

“ _ Now, the voice you are hearing is Richard Kiley--we spared no expense in hiring him. _ ” John’s voice crackled over the speaker as the car started forward, Fabian smirking at Ian’s eye roll. “ _ Just sit back and enjoy the ride. First up, the dilophosaurus.” _

 

“So, uh, Fabian,” Ian began, twisting in his seat to better face the rest of the car, “You ever work with the other dinosaurs?”

 

“Hell no,” Fabian replied, fiddling with his bracelet once again, “I don’t have a death wish, believe it or not. The only reason I can work with the Titans to a moderate degree is because they are hybrids, part herbivore, and not as aggressive. I’ve never even laid eyes on the dilophosaurus--not sure if I really want to either.”

 

“No death wish, huh,” Ian grinned cheekily at him, “You sure have a funny way of showing it.”

 

“So I’ve been told,” Fabian offered a small smile, falling silent as Kiley’s voice sounded over the speaker to inform the riders about the dilophosaurus’--something Fabian had heard far too many times by now from his interactions with the development team. His thoughts briefly wandered back to Emmett, who had always said almost exactly what Ian had, but he pushed those thoughts away, instead peering out the window with the rest of the car.

 

“Where  _ are _ they,” Dr. Sattler muttered, trying to glimpse the elusive creatures through the brush. The other doctors peered curiously out the window, but none of them finding any success in their endeavours and instead left to their own disappointment as the car rolled forward all too soon. 

 

“Well that was…” Dr. Grant paused, trying to phrase his thought politely.

 

“Unimpressive? Anti-climatic?” Ian offered, drumming his fingers on the car door.

 

“Well, yes. That works.”

 

“ _ Now now,” _ John’s voice sounded over the speaker once again, “ _ Give it a chance. The T-Rex paddock is next, it’s quite the impressive sight. _ ”

 

The cars once again pulled up to a stop outside of the T-Rex paddock, Fabian reached forward and switched off the tour guide’s voice before it could bore them all to death. All members of the car leaned over once again--Fabian trying hard not to lean on Ian--but were once again disappointed as there was no rex to be seen. Fabian sighed in annoyance as he leaned back into his seat when the car jerked forward once again.

 

“Uh, hello,” Ian said, leaning forward to where the camera and microphone were, “You are, uh, you are going to have, uh, actual  _ dinosaurs _ on your dinosaur tour eventually, right? Hello?” 

 

Fabian had to smile at the comment as Ian sat back, a cocky smirk on his face. 

 

“You see, the tyrannosaur doesn’t obey the uh, uh, park schedules or set patterns, it’s the  _ essence _ of chaos,” Ian said, glancing at Dr. Grant and Fabian while drumming on the seat occupied by Dr. Sattler.

 

“I’m still not totally clear on chaos,” Dr. Sattler commented, twisting around in her seat.

 

“Oh you see, it’s just, uh, dealing with probability in-in complex systems,” Ian replied excitedly, leaning forward, “In short, it’s the butterfly effect. You know, when-when a butterfly flaps its wings in central park and you get rain instead of sunshine.”

 

Dr. Sattler looked absolute confused, smiling brightly at Ian as she laughed waved her head above her head in confusion.

 

“Did I go to fast? I went too fast, I go to fast, did a fly by,” Ian chattered, still grinning in excitement, “Here, pass me that water glass we’re going to conduct an experiment.”

 

Fabian glanced over at Dr. Grant, who was staring determinedly out the window, then turned back to Ian and Dr. Sattler.

 

“Right, so think about it--you too Fabian. If I place a drop of water on your hand, what-what way is it going to roll off?” Ian grabbed Fabian’s hand and held it up, glancing at Dr. Sattler to ensure she was listening.

 

“Er, how about backwards?” Fabian felt slightly awkward but made no move to take his hand back.

 

Ian took a drop of water and watched it roll down the back of Fabian’s hand, then wiped the water off. “Okay, now if I do it again, which way will it roll? The same way?”

 

Fabian nodded in response, watching as Ian once again dropped water on his knuckle, but this time it slid down the side. 

 

“See? See? That’s unpredictability, that’s chaos. Tiny changes, imperfections in your skin, the amount of blood in your vessels, the orientation of your hair. All tiny factors that can change the outcome.”

 

“Fascinating,” Fabian replied, for once realizing that he was actually interested in it, and not just due to the handsome man touching his hand (which he was all too aware of). He turned to see if Dr. Grant was paying attention, only to see him opening the door and stumbling out of the moving car.

 

“See? I’m right, no one could have predicted that Dr. Grant would just, uh, uh,  _ climb _ out of a moving car.” Ian pointed aggressively at the disappearing form of Dr. Grant.

 

“Alan?” Ellie called in concern as she climbed out after him with only a moment's hesitation.

 

“Now that’s chaos, who could have ever predicted that half the car would climb out for no reason,” Ian smiled over to Fabian, who was peering intently out the window. Fabian suddenly reached forward and flicked a hidden switch up by the controls, stopping the car and climbing out.

 

“Come on, Ian. They didn’t get out for no reason,” Fabian grabbed his bag and helped Ian shuffle out of the cramped car, leading the way into the brush as the children tumbled out from the first car.

 

Fabian slung his bag over his shoulder and led the way through the tall brush, pulling up short behind Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler and looking out. Some meters away was a large, brown-grey form lying on its side, breath heavily. With a quick glance at the doctors staring in awe, Fabian trudged forward and led the way into the clearing, stopping to talk to the medic crouched beside the form. A massive triceratops lay on her side, breathing heavily and groaning every once in a while, watching the group gather with beaded eyes. Dr. Grant tentatively walked forward, putting a hand gently on the beast's side before lying flat to her side, grinning broadly as the beast took in a great breath and allowed his to feel it breath.

 

“What’s wrong with her?” It was Tim who spoke up, standing back where Ian observed with a concerned face, “Is she sick?”

 

“Looks like it,” Fabian replied, patting her side, “I’m no dino expert, but its probably something she ingested. There’s no visible wounds, and from what the medic said this is pretty regular.”

 

“Maybe it’s one of the plants,” Dr. Sattler muttered, moving off to diagnose the issue. Fabian retreated from the group, going to stand by Ian as the others worked to find the problem.

 

“From what I’ve heard, there’s supposed to be a huge storm on its way today,” Fabian commented as he and Ian followed Dr. Sattler at a small distance, “In theory, John will evacuate the island.”

 

“Well, we, uh, know how much John cares about this project, might not-not actually happen,” Ian replied.

 

“Fair enough.”

 

Fabian watched in mildly disgusted amusement as Dr. Sattler kneeled by a large pile of dung, Ian quipping that it was--more accurately--one big pile of shit. The doctors began to converse among themselves, attempting to figure out exactly what caused the triceratops to fall ill so frequently. Finally, Dr. Sattler brought up the selection of poisonous plants in the area, offering that the creature ate pebbles or dirt infused with oils and juices from the roots while it was foraging. Both Fabian and Ian observed in general silence, ever once in a while offering their opinion. Ian made an absolutely disgusted face when Dr. Sattler reached into the rancid pile of shit to help the situation, which caused Fabian to chuckle slightly to himself. Eventually, Fabian’s radio crackled to life, causing Fabian to grab it and turn the volume up.

 

“ _ Fabian, Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, Dr. Malcolm,” _ John’s voice came over the radio, “ _ Assuming you can hear me, it would be best to get back now. There’s a tropical storm coming pretty fast, final evacuations to the mainland have begun for staff. There will be a helicopter landing shortly for you and the children to take back to the mainland. Understand?” _

 

“Yeah, we got it John,” Fabian replied, “Will be there soon, start up the cars once we get back.”

 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay here for a little while, make sure this triceratops is okay,” Dr. Sattler asked from her position crouched next to the dinosaur.

 

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Fabian began, frowning, “From what I hear, this storm is going to be the worst of the century.”

 

“Well, chaos theory says you can’t predict everything, right?” Dr. Sattler replied, glancing at Ian.

 

“That’s-that’s not exactly what I was saying,” Ian laughed awkwardly, “But sure, we will go with that.”

 

Fabian found himself being looked at for direction, a responsibility he did not like when it came to humans, but sighed and relented. “Alright, just get a ride back with the medic as soon as possible, the staff cars run on gas and don’t need to be on the road.”

 

With brief goodbyes, Fabian lead the way back to the cars as the wind picked up, grabbing hold of Tim as he slipped on the slope. He set the child down and ushered them into the first car, followed closely by Gennaro, then jogged back to the second car, slipping into the back along with Ian. The car started up, heading back the way they came at the same, steady pace. 

 

It was quite in the car for some time as the rain began to fall, drumming gently on the roof  while wind whipped up around them outside. Suddenly, the car jerked to a stop, the darkness of night descending quickly as the storm overhead grew. Fabian looked up from his hands, peering out the window in confusion while Dr. Grant and Ian did the same.

 

“Is this, uh, part of the-the tour?” Ian said hesitantly, pressing his face to the cool window.

 

“Not at all, especially since the order was to evacuate,” Fabian replied, trying his radio to no success, “My best guess is we wait here for now.”

 

“I’ll check on the children,” Dr. Grant spoke up suddenly, climbing out of the stuffy car. He darted through the pouring rain and opened the other car’s doors, apparently talking quietly with the occupants.

 

“So, uh, Fabian,” Ian spoke up, settling against the car door, “This happen often?”

 

“Tropical storms don’t happen often,” Fabian replied, unconsciously playing with his bracelet again, “But I can’t imagine the power would go out so suddenly. Hopefully John will get in contact soon and we can get to a safer place.”

 

“Yeah,” Ian trailed off, staring at Fabian’s hands, “You always play with your bracelet when you’re anxious?”

 

“Hm?” Fabian glanced down at his hand, forcing himself to stop fidgeting with the familiar beads, “Oh, that. Not something I usually do, guess the tour put my nerves on edge.”

 

“Was it a gift?”

 

“Yeah, from my old… partner,” Fabian said carefully, unsure of Ian’s opinions on the matter and still not fond of talking about it. Luckily, before Ian could continue to pry information out of Fabian, Dr. Grant returned, slipping into the car in soaking wet clothes.

 

“Children are alright,” Dr. Grant grunted, holding out his canteen to collect the rain, “Just a little shaken.”

 

The next few moments were thick with silence as each man pondered their situation. Fabian frowned slightly, a strange feeling overcoming him. He glanced around, trying to place the emotion, suddenly likening it to the look on the young pigs’ faces as he let the Titan pack hunt their dinner. Despite the heavy rainfall, Fabian peered out the window at the dark outdoors, watching the wires between them and the T-Rex enclosure with cautious eyes. He saw Ian leaning forward to peer intensely at the glass of water sitting on the dashboard. Fabian looked at it closely, noticing now what Ian had seen: the water was rippling in intervals. Like tremors of an earthquake, or something very large approaching. Suddenly, three sets of eyes snapped up to the emerging figure from the car in front of them, watching as Mr. Gennaro sprinted from the safety of the car to the nearby bathrooms.

 

“Well,” Ian began in confusion, “When you gotta go, you gotta go.”

 

“I don’t think that’s the issue,” Fabian said, lifting a hand to point at the wire fence that was swaying dangerously, but not in the wind. Ian climbed into the front seat, leaning forward with a strange look on his face.

 

Before their eyes, the suddenly incredibly flimsy looking wires began to snap, falling uselessly to the side as a massive form muscled its way through. A large, scaled head with terrifyingly large teeth emerged, its huge, muscled body following. The water on the dash rippled as it’s giant clawed foot stomped on the ground, a deafening roar sounding only a heartbeat moment later. 

 

“See? I was right, I was right th entire time,” Ian breathed as his heartbeat almost visibly quickened. Fabian found himself wishing dearly that he had taken the chance to leave before then, trying to calm the shaking of his limbs.

 

“Don’t move a muscle,” Dr. Grant breathed, settling rigidly into the seat, “Her vision is based on movement.”

 

“Let’s hope the raptors aren’t out,” Fabian muttered to himself, “We wouldn’t be able to hide so easily.” He frowned even as he said the words allowed, seeing a far too bright light appear from the car in front, “Turn off the light, she can see you like that.”

 

They all watched with bated breath as the Rex leaned toward the open door of the car, searching for the elusive prey she knew existed. Suddenly, she headbutted the car, sending screams of terror up from children and almost forcing Fabian out of his seat in fear. The car rocked dangerously as the Rex slammed her head into the car again, and again, and again before finally giving up for a moment. She lifted her muzzle and for a moment appeared to be ready to leave, but instead slammed her face into the glass roof of the car. Fabian sucked in a harsh breath as the glass fell into the car, luckily not breaking.

 

Dr. Grant suddenly glanced back at Fabian, “Is there anything there in the back we can use? A gun or something?”

 

“There’s small tranquilizers but not nearly enough to take down her, there might be flares,” Fabian replied, tearing his eyes away from the horrifying sight and turning to dig around the plain grey case he knew contained the emergency supplies. He pulled out a flare and tossed it to Dr. Grant. “Dr. Grant… Alan, if you’re about to do what I think you’re going to do, be careful. She’s faster than she looks.”

 

Alan glanced heavily at him, a frown on his face, “I know, all too well. Stay here.” Without another word, Alan climbed out of the car and lit the flare, holding it far from him body as he slowly approached the Rex. 

 

Both Fabian and Ian froze as the Rex turned to face the paleontologist, watching in fear as he threw the flare to the other side and stood stock still, letting the beast chase the light. He darted around the dinosaur quickly to where the car lay, now overturned, and began to help the children. Ian turned around and dug around for another flare, Fabian frowning deeply at him.

 

“Ian, don’t” Fabian tried uselessly, as the chaostician was already climbing out of the car. 

 

The Rex was once again approaching the car, spinning it in circles as Alan and Lex tried to stay huddled behind it. Ian lit the flare, calling loudly to catch the attention of the Rex before half turning and jogging away from the terrible beast. Fabian sat frozen, realizing he was truly not going to make it. He almost didn’t move as the Rex approached, before startling out of the trance and almost throwing himself out of the car. Moments later, a ear-splitting grinding sounded as the car collapsed under the gigantic pressure of the Rex stepping on it as if it were nothing more than a speck of dust. Fabian rolled away from the wreck, peering through his bangs just in time to see the massive maw of the T-Rex clamp shut around Ian’s leg and fling him into the bathroom wall. 

 

Fabian had to bite his hand to keep from screaming in fear, his heart nearly stopping as he lost sight of the black clad form. He scrambled for a moment, reaching into his bag where he kept his own flares and tugged one out, shakily lighting it and letting out a sharp whistle--one of the signals to his pack ironically--before tossing the flare back into the enclosure. The Rex did give chase to the flying light, but Fabian’s plan backfired as the Rex shoved the car over the edge--a terrified shriek sounding along with it Fabian gasped in horror, his hair plastered to his face and his comfortable shirt soaked to the bone.

 

Trying to pull himself together, Fabian scrambled to his feet and stumbled to the collapsed form of the bathroom. His heart froze as he realized the dark substance under his feet was blood. His eyes followed the trail to half a body lying on the brown, grey pants splattered in red. Gennaro. Fabian let out a guilty sigh of relief, then shook his head and crouched down, carefully shuffling through the debris.

 

When a low groan sounded from his right, Fabian darted forward and threw the heavy boards aside, his breath catching in his throat as he caught sight of the black clad form lying underneath.

 

“Ian,” Fabian breathed, pausing for a moment to watch his chest rise and fall unsteadily. He followed the blood trail down to Ian’s leg, where a large and gruesome gash ripped through his flesh. 

 

Fabian fumbled in his bag, pulling out a set of wet bandages and some cloth. He grabbed two pieces of wood, flinching as he felt a tremor run through the earth, then focused on his task again and quickly splint the damaged leg. It was a rough job--Fabian was no doctor--but it would have to do. They could not stay around and wait for the Rex to come back, and they could only hope she was not hungry anymore--though Fabian found the implications of that just as sickening. 

 

“Ian,” Fabian said again, gently shaking the chaostician, “Ian come on, wake up. I can’t carry you like this, and we can’t stay. Ian, come on.”

 

Ian groaned again, slowly opening his eyes to stare unfocused in the direction of Fabian. “Hm?”

 

“Oh good, your alive,” Fabian said, helping the injured man sit up, “Listen, I know you probably are really hurt but we need to get a move on. Normally I wouldn’t want to move you, but--”

 

The distant roar of a hungry Rex sounded, making both men flinch.

 

“Please do, let’s go” Ian gulped, clinging to Fabian and he pulled the both of them to their feet. 

 

Fabian slung one arm around Ian and pulled one of Ian’s over his shoulder to help him walk. He stumbled slightly under the weight, then moving forward slowly. He felt his heart beating faster than ever as they stumbled away from their certain death. 

  
‘ _ From one certain death to another uncertain death,’ _ Fabian thought grimly, struggling under the weight of the taller man, ‘ _ I really should start taking people’s advice when it comes to self preservation. Or maybe John should take mine.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked that! Trying to keep semi-canon events while also working my own story.


	8. Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi it has been 8 Years but I finally gave up with my incessant editing and am calling it good. That being said, I still don't 100% love it but at least it's written! I hope you all enjoyed!

The insufferable beeping sounding every few seconds made Fabian flinch, the noise grating on his ears and seeping into his mind. Gone was the relative silence of Isla Nublar, where the loudest noise was the wind whipping through the trees. He tried to put the violent roars echoing through the valley out of his mind, but he was finding the beeping no better.

With a sigh, Fabian ran a hand through the tangled mop of hair falling into his eyes. Rubbing his face tiredly, Fabian gazed at the man laying in soft white sheets, various tubes poking into his veins. The heart monitor beeped loudly, perhaps the only positive thing about that noise was it signifying that Ian was still alive. His leg was bandaged and propped up carefully, courtesy of the nearest and best hospital John could find on a moments notice.

After they had flown from the island and fought through the news coverage that had somehow caught wind of their arrival, John ushered the lot of them to a hospital, Fabian practically carrying Ian to the ambulance. Ian had been rushed to the ICU to get his leg and probable infection under control while Fabian, Ellie, Alan, John, and the kids were cleaned up. Now that all was said and done, Ellie and Alan had caught the first flight out of there, John taking his grand children back home before retreating to his office, no doubt to prepare lawyers to fend off the coming lawsuits. Fabian had no such plans at the moment, though he had placed a call to the Riehl-Fischer preserve and getting the answering machine. 

Which led him to his current predicament, waiting in painful silence for a severely injured man to wake up. What he intended to say to Ian when he awoke, Fabian was not sure. They had certainly been through a lot in the past two days, and Fabian didn’t know where they stood now. Allies, yes, perhaps even friends though he hardly knew the man. 

A quiet voice at the back of his mind (which sounded suspiciously like Celeste) pondered the idea of being more than friends, not that he could exactly say it to Ian’s face. 

With another frustrated groan, Fabian flopped back into his chair, wincing as his sore shoulder hit the wood. He entertained darting out to grab something to eat, but before he could rally the strength the phone next to him rang. Snatching it up, Fabian perhaps too eagerly put the receiver to his ear.

“Hullo?” Fabian almost winced at his raspy voice, his words slurring with exhaustion.

“ _ Fabian? Oh my God, you’re on the news,”  _ Celeste’s voice was almost music to his ears, “ _ The media is having a field day with John, and I can see you with that hot guy--the one in black, not the guy with the hat--but they seem to be keeping your name out of it. Wait… nevermind, they didn’t. Well, coverage is coverage, right? Oh, Ian Malcolm! That’s the hot guy, you know that really explains a lot. Does thi-” _

“Celeste hold up,” Fabian said, a smile twitching on his lips, “I know you have a million questions, but I have to ask a few favors first. Get a pad of paper.”

“ _ Right, sorry boss! One sec, _ ” Fabian heard the sound of rustling in the background, “ _ Okay, shoot. _ ”

“I need you to contact my wildlife rehabilitation buddies at New World Inc. Ask for Freddy Newman, tell him Fabian Rhiel is calling in his favor now. I need a transport chopper for 5 roughly deer sized creatures in two weeks time, and I need the elephant guns. He can contact me when I’m back in the states for more details. Also, on a different note, contact our lawyers. John is gonna pay hell for this.”

“ _ Uhh, Fabian…. Why do you need transport for animals? And more importantly, what the hell happened on that island? _ ”

“Yes I’m fine, thanks for asking,” Fabian snarked, snatching a quick glance at Ian as he shifted in his sleep, “Look, I can’t explain all the details right now, I’m just too tired for that. When John first approached me for his out-of-country job I told you I was working with some exotic animals, which wasn’t a lie. For the past… long time, John has been developing ways to bring dinosaurs into the modern era, and he succeeded. He wanted me to join the staff at this park of his, full of dinosaurs, and train some of his raptors. Velociraptors. Well, all was going fine until he brought this damn endorsement team to the island, then power went out and shit hit the fan. A bunch of dinos got loose, we got attacked by raptors--not mine--and the T-Rex… Muldoon died, Celeste…” Fabian trailed off, blinking at the sting of tears on the edge of his vision. There was silence on the other end of the line.

“ _ Fabian… I’m so sorry… _ ” Celeste sounded close to crying, which nearly broke Fabian’s heart, “ _ I know you two were close. _ ”

“Yeah,” Fabian whispered, his voice breaking slightly, “We were. He shouldn’t have died like that.”

There was a heavy sort of silence for several long moments, only broken up by the loud beeping on Fabians end. Finally, Fabian wiped his eyes and took a deep breath.

“Look, I’ll explain all the finer details later, probably in a meeting with a lawyer. I’ll catch a plane back to the states soon, gotta wait for Ian to wake up-”

“ _ Holy shit,  _ Ian? _ What’s this first name basis on Mr. Hottie? You got something to me? _ ” Fabian swore he could hear her shit-eating grin in her voice, making him groan in response.

“No, it’s not like that. We aren’t… Nothing happened. Well, nothing that your thinking.”

“ _ But you do like him, _ ” Celeste seemed to state it more than question it.

“Yes,  _ as a friend _ . We aren’t anything more, and frankly I don’t know if he’s even… into guys,” Fabian glanced up at Ian momentarily, a thoughtful frown on his face, then shook his head, “Look, I’m just waiting for him to wake up. He’s injured and friendless in a foreign country and hasn’t got a ride back as far as I know. Thought I would do him a favor, get him to the airport and wherever else he needs to go. John’s got a couple of first class tickets reserved for us. When he wakes up, I’ll phone, give you warning.”

“ _ Fine fine, you bumbling fool, _ ” Celeste muttered, “ _ I’ll get your flat into shape for when you get back. _ ”

“Thanks Celeste… One last thing.”

“ _ Anything. _ ”

“If Emmet calls, don’t tell him anything. I’m not gonna explain this whole affair to him, not yet,” Fabian had to resist a growl threatening to escape from his throat.

“ _ Gotcha. Stay safe, okay? I’ve got to go now, our trusted employees are waving frantically at me, _ ” Celeste sounded vaguely amused at this.

“Will do. Thanks again, goodnight,” Fabian could hardly get the words out before Celeste hung up and he was once again left alone with his thoughts and that godforsaken beeping.

\---

It took several hours before Ian finally roused himself from whatever uneasy sleep the drugs had pushed him into. The pained groan escaping his lips stirred Fabian from his mind, and he raised his gaze from his hands to watch with cautious hope. When brown eyes began to flutter open, Fabian lifted himself out of the chair and stumbled to the bedside, ignoring the deep ache in his muscles.

Ian licked his lips and swallowed thickly, his glassy eyed stare flickering around the room for a few moments. Fabian hovered there uncertainly, suddenly all too aware of his sweat stained clothes and tangled hair. Brown eyes finally settled on his face, Ian’s brow furrowed before a soft smile graced his face.

“Fab-” Ian began before a coughing fit cut him off. Fabian quickly snatched the glass of lukewarm water from the side table and brought it to Ian’s lips, helping to steady the injured man.

“Fabian,” Ian gasped, finally catching his breath, “What--where are we?”

“Hospital on the mainland,” Fabian replied, propping up pillows behind the Chaotician as he slowly sat up, “John got us all here as soon as he could, the scuttled off with the kids back to whatever office to deal with all the backlash. Ellie and Alan have already vacated back to the States, caught a plane as soon as they knew you were stable.”

“And you’re still here,” Ian had an odd expression on his face.

“Yeah…” Fabian rubbed the back of his neck, looking away as he tried not to blush under the scrutinizing gaze, “Wanted to make sure you were okay, didn’t wake up in a strange place with people who don’t speak English. Not to mention getting out of here is going to be a brawl; the media already caught wind of this and its a shit storm out there. Thought you might want an escort to the airport as soon as you can manage.”

The smile on Ian’s face was perhaps worth the awkward explanation, and Fabian responded in kind.

“Thanks,” Ian looked down at his leg with a frown, “Don’t think I-I could make it out of here on my own. You- you didn’t  _ have _ to stay though.”

Fabian shrugged, “Eh, I don’t have pressing needs back at home. I put a call in to my reservation, Celeste is handling the lawyers and getting my flat cleared out for me. We’ve got a flight scheduled in--” Fabian glanced at the clock on the wall, “--ten hours. Gives you some time to get oriented before we need to head off, long as your leg is up for the journey.”

“I could think of a few other things to do in ten hours,” Ian said vaguely, watching Fabian as he shifted awkwardly, “But I don’t think I’m gonna be up for walking anytime soon.”

“John’s got us first class with a chair for you, plus an onboard physician just in case.”

“Well he just thought of  _ everything _ didn’t he,” Fabian was almost surprised by the malice that suddenly entered Ian’s tone, “Bet you-you he’s trying to pay us off.”

“Probably,” Fabian said as he relented to his muscles and sat down carefully on the edge of the bed, “But right now I’ll take it. Get yo--get us home safe and sound, then worry about dealing with all the legalities.”

They fell into an easy silence after than, Ian slowly waking up and beginning to play with the various tubes and buttons the side of his bed. After a while a nurse ducked her head in, speaking rapidly in another language as she fiddled with the monitors and pumps. Fabian watched her closely but had no clue what she was doing.

“Fabian,” Ian’s voice startled him out of his thoughts and Fabian jerked his gaze away from a spot on Ian’s pillow, “You good?”

“Hm? Yeah, I’m fine,” Fabian laughed half heartedly, trying to ignore the small voice in his head that said he was not fine and was, in fact, daydreaming about kissing the injured man in front of him.

“Really? Because you, uh, look like you’ve been zoned out for a good five minutes.”

“We just got back from near death, give me a break.”

Ian didn’t respond for several moments, instead squinting at Fabian like he was trying to solve a particularly complex math problem. Fabian suddenly found himself wishing he had taken that first flight John had offered, but here he was, stuck in his suffering. After what seemed like an eternity, Ian shoved himself upwards and grabbed onto Fabian’s shoulder to pull himself into a true sitting position. Fabian half jumped at the touch, but reached out to carefully help him up, a worried word sitting on the tip of his tongue. Ian stared at him closely for a moment then that infuriatingly handsome smirk played across his face.

“I think I win the contest in near death,” Ian cast a pointed glance at his bandaged leg, Fabian following his gaze with an amused glint in his eyes, “B-but here’s the thing, I think your lying.”

“Are you a psychic as well as a Chaotician now,” Fabian hoped his sarcasm didn’t reflect the pit that dropped in his stomach, “I didn’t know T-Rex bites did that to a man.”

“Only the handsome ones,” Ian grinned in response.

“Well that explains why the Rex went for you then,” Fabian mentally kicked himself for  _ that _ spilling out of his mouth of all things, then quickly tried to backpedal, “Maybe she wanted to expand her type. Anyway, I’m going to go find a doctor and play the most infuriating game of charades, see if we can get out of this place.” Fabian truly loathed his entire existence at the moment, wondering how he could say such stupid things to this man. At the very least he wasn’t stuttering, but he did make a hasty retreat without waiting for a response from Ian.

\---

As predicted, fighting through the media with an all too pale Ian Malcolm and perpetually annoyed Fabian Rhiel was like trying to run in quicksand. After dodging questions, biting back a few choice insults, and nearly dumping Ian onto the hard ground accidently, Fabian had managed to stuff the two of them into the car waiting, which immediately rushed off towards the airport. The duo then had to work their way through the airport, which was mostly Ian talking rather excitedly about some equation he was working in his chair while Fabian pushed him along, not following his train of thought one bit. It was almost underwhelming when they reached the gate. 

Ian had drifted off to sleep once they boarded, staying that way through most of the flight while Fabian had fitful naps. Once they landed on the other side they went through the entire process over again. Luckily for them, a large truck was parked just outside the airport entrance, waiting. When the duo appeared, a young girl with familiar bushy brown hair hopped out and opened the door, quickly ushering them both inside.

With Fabian and Ian settled side by side in the back (Ian leaning up against Fabian with his leg stretched out on the seat), Celeste climbed back into the driver's seat and sped away.

“It’s so good to see you Fabian, but you make a hell of an entrance,” Celeste’s grin was impossibly broad as she spoke.

“There are some things the teacher learns from the student, Celeste,” Fabian rolled his eyes as Ian snorted in amusement, “It is nice to be back though.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever. You gonna properly introduce me now?”

Fabian almost laughed, but instead gave her a tired smile through the mirror, “You already know who Ian Malcolm is judging by you gushing about him on the phone-” Fabian was satisfied to see a faint blush dust her cheeks, “-but yes. Ian, this is my second in command and cohort of all things animal rehabilitation, Celeste. Celeste, I present to you injured playboy chaotician, Ian Malcolm.”

“It’s an, uh, uh, pleasure to meet you,” Ian gave Celeste a strained grin, one hand gripping at his leg as they his a particularly large pothole, “Could you possibly drop me off at the nearest hotel?”

Fabian’s eyebrows shot up, “You haven’t got somewhere to stay? Ian, why the hell didn’t you tell me?”

“Kinda just remembered,” Ian had the decency to look sheepish at least, “Been muddled on meds for a while now. Pain isn’t much better, but, uh, yeah…” Ian trailed off, apparently losing his train of thought.

“Well you aren’t staying at a hotel,” Fabian said firmly, ignoring Celeste’s noise of amusement, “Not with your leg that is. You can stay at my place for now, until we figure out the next step.”

Ian almost looked like he wanted to argue, but another bump in the road replaced any words with a grimace of pain and a nod.

\---

By the time Fabian had chased Celeste out of his flat it had been an hour. Fabian had gotten Ian settled in his room, electing to take the couch despite his muscle’s protest. After carefully fielding a few calls from the media, listening to a single concerned voicemail from Emmet, and sending a mass email to his employees with the essentials of what had happened, Fabian collapsed onto the couch with a sigh. Gazing at the ceiling, Fabian found his mind spinning in circles, alternating between the disturbing sights he wished he could forget and his daydreams.

The latter mostly featured Ian in various states of dress, much to Fabian’s internal annoyance.

Between the plane ride and drive home, Fabian had more than enough time to review his feelings for the man--he scoffed at the thought, as if emotions were a report he could read and analyze. It was no doubt he had a physical attraction to him, the lean figure, curly black hair, soft eyes, bright smile, and charming wit was enough to make anyone--male or female--swoon. The deep fear settled in his stomach was a different story altogether, having stemmed from almost seeing the man die multiple times. He had briefly entertained the idea of this being a passing crush, but he knew from experience that he did not really get such things. He fell hard and fast, sometimes crashing and burning.

Emmet was a prime example of that, and Fabian still wasn’t sure who to blame.

“Fabian,” Said man nearly jumped out his skin as his thoughts were interrupted by the strained voice from the other room. 

“Speak of the devil and he doth appear,” Fabian muttered to himself, then rolled off the couch and ducked into his room. Ian was settled in his bed, a swath of blankets laying to one side (‘just in case’ Celeste had said) and his leg propped up on several large pillows. The IV antibiotics and saline was hanging on the lamp, as Fabian usually did with animals too weak to leave alone for a night. He looked perhaps a little better, no longer sweating out of his skin and regaining some color in his cheeks. It made Fabian self conscious in his stained work shirt and sweats, having long since abandoning the work clothes.

“Something wrong,” Fabian asked, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.

“Not really, just…” Ian bit his lip, not quite making eye contact. Fabian watched him for several moments, eyeing the slight tremble to his hands, the flickering gaze and tense muscles. 

It was a fear he knew they shared at the moment.

With a tired sigh and knowing smile, Fabian crossed to the bed and tossed the multitude of blankets on the floor before laying down, making sure to keep some space between them. Ian seemed to relax minutely at his presence, which made butterflies roll in Fabian’s stomach for reasons he chose to ignore. For some time, the two simply stared at the ceiling, trying to ignore the bloody images that danced behind their eyes.

“What are you gonna do about the Titans?” Fabian had thought Ian was asleep, but now glanced over at his voice. With a sigh, he propped himself up on his elbows and gazed at Ian’s face, a frown playing over his lips.

“I dunno really… I’m calling in a favor, seeing if I can get them transferred back to the mainland in a few weeks, maybe keep them at the reservation. I know it sounds really really stupid--”

“And suicidal, idiotic, insane, not to mention painfully like you but go on,” Ian interrupted, earning a half smile out of Fabian.

“I was going to but you summed it up,” Fabian trailed off, looking down at his lap, “I can’t really leave them though, they are family by now. Helped us out there on the island, helped me out a lot when I first got there… I was in a hell of a state when John recruited me--maybe that’s why I agreed in the first place--but the Titan’s? Didn’t let me mope around, didn’t let me get distracted.”

Ian was quiet, though Fabian knew he was listening, could feel his eyes on him. He tried to blink the tears away, but they fell regardless and dotted his sweats with moisture. Fabian startled slightly when Ian touched his shoulder ever so gently, the concern written on the chaotician’s face was achingly real. Ian gently pulled Fabian back down, this time pulled closer to his chest, one arm slung around his shoulders.

“I-I don’t blame you,” Ian began, half mumbling into Fabian’s hair, “Hell of a time out on the island, uh, and I would-would say they even grew on me a bit. Can’t imagine how hard it was to leave them.”

“They survived though,” Fabian said softly, feeling himself relaxing into Ian, “I can’t really ask for more at the moment.”

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Fabian listening to Ian’s steady if not slightly rapid heartbeat, Ian fiddling with Fabian’s hair. For his part, Fabian was staying absolutely still, not wanting to shatter this tender moment or jostle Ian’s leg. He wasn’t sure exactly what his plan was in this situation, Ian apparently content to hold Fabian there for the night. When Ian’s long fingers began to delicately card through Fabian’s neglected hair, Fabian nearly lost it. His breathing hitched slightly, the butterflies that had been dancing in his stomach were now joined by trumpeting elephants and Fabian was not prepared to deal with… whatever the hell this was.

A soft sigh of annoyance nearly escaped his lips when Ian pulled his arm away, letting Fabian shift away from the warm man. A sense of dread settled in his stomach, the thought of getting  _ so close _ to what he wanted but being denied was almost physically painful. Trying to steel himself, Fabian forced his mind to accept that as much of a flirt as Ian was, men just weren’t his taste. Or maybe it was Fabian in particular, maybe all he wanted from this was friendship. A small part of his mind was busy berating himself for being distracted by petty romance when he should be wallowing in grief, having lost his friends. He found himself not caring, preferring to get lost in the thoughts circling in his mind.

This had the unfortunate side effect of totally distracting Fabian from the present situation, so when he felt a gentle hand touch his cheek he tensed and gasped, making the hand pause. With a shaky jerk of his head, Fabian glanced over at Ian, who was watching him with a worried look. Fabian licked his lips, watching as Ian’s eyes followed the movement then looked back at Fabian.

“Now, I-I can’t really sit up easily right now,” Ian began shakily, though his tone was stronger than anything Fabian would have mustered at the moment, “So if you, uh, if you really want this, you gotta sit up and get it.”

A million different thoughts ran through Fabian’s head, about a third of them being innuendos and another third variations of “ _ holy shit _ ”. He gaped stupidly for a moment, then recovered his wits and blushed a deep red. That was a proposition if he ever heard one.

“Eh, Ian,” Fabian began carefully, forcing himself to maintain eye contact, “I… I do want this, though I didn’t think I was  _ that _ obvious, but you’re…” Fabian paused, trying not to wince as Ian’s face fell, “Put bluntly, you’re high right now. Pain meds and shit, not thinking straight, I don’t want to take advantage of that.”

“Fabian,” the sincerity in Ian’s voice almost made his will collapse right there, “The meds loosen my tongue, not make things up.”

The silence between them was heavy and painful. Fabian finally licked his lips, swallowing thickly and pushing himself upright, watching Ian track his movement carefully. Half of him wanted to lean forward and kiss him, all soft lipped and gentle. He had imagined it about a million different ways by now, and the voice trying to rationalize this in his head sounded suspiciously like Celeste.

The other half of him wanted to stop, get up and leave and continue to ignore and avoid anything more than a familiar relationship with Ian. Avoid anything that could hurt again, anything that would break eventually and then break his heart. It yelled at him to remember Emmet, but dammit Fabian didn’t want to.

So he didn’t.

Carefully, Fabian leaned down (propping himself up with an elbow by Ian’s head) and pressed his lips to Ian’s, awkward and hardly there at first. Taking a breath and throwing out his doubts, Fabian leaned forward and deepened the kiss, the butterflies in his stomach doing ecstatic backflips when he felt Ian’s mouth part. A tongue roamed boldly into his mouth and he felt Ian’s tangle a hand in his hair, the other moving to his hip to keep him steady. A smile played across his lips that he was sure Ian could feel.

Fabian finally had to pull back when he was out of breath, half pushing Ian back down as he tried to follow the retreating kiss. He couldn’t help the grin on his face as he looked down at Ian, whose bed ruffled hair was falling in his eyes. A smile befitting a movie star was shining back at him, though clouded with a sense of pain. Ian reached up to run a shaky hand through Fabian’s hair again, letting his long fingers trail over his scalp and down his neck, coming to rest on his chest. 

“This make us a thing?” Fabian’s voice sounded odd to his own ears, but he couldn’t find the will to care between the utter exhaustion and elated butterflies in his belly. 

“I’d say so,” Ian replied, pulling Fabian back down to lay next to him.

Fabian felt a flash of fear at becoming an “ex-Mrs. Malcolm”, but quickly shoved the thought out of his mind.

For now, everything was falling back into place. He could repair. 

**Author's Note:**

> AN: Whew! First chapter done, the next chapter will be more exciting I swear! we get to meet Sattler, Grant, our favorite Malcolm, along with the Titan Pack! Tried to do a little character establishing with Fabian so I didn't have to do it bluntly in the plot.


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